The BJP's electoral prospects in Kerala appear to have dimmed, following a disappointing internal post-poll survey conducted by the party.
Voting in Kerala took place on April 9.
While the BJP initially projected victories in 12 Kerala constituencies in its report to the central leadership, the party is now scaling back on those expectations. The party leadership reportedly believes their efforts to secure the Christian vote fell short, leading to a more cautious post-poll outlook.
Despite the underwhelming projections, the party leadership has opted to focus on the long-term impact of its Christian outreach. Rather than viewing the results through a binary lens of gains and losses, the BJP maintains that securing even a marginal vote share from the community in key constituencies represents a vital breakthrough for its future footprint in Kerala.
The FCRA Amendment Bill became a significant electoral liability for the BJP in Kerala. Rather than consolidating support, the proposed legislation triggered a backlash from minority-led organisations and NGOs, undermining the party's local outreach.
The party has notably refrained from blaming NDA candidate P.C. George or his son, Shone George, for their post-election friction with church leadership, viewing their stance as independent of the party’s broader outreach strategy.
The row triggered by P.C.George and his son by attacking some bishops of the Catholic Church and its mouthpiece, the Deepika, has escalated after the polls. Shone has accused Deepika of covertly working for the Congress.
Meanwhile, the post-poll assessments in Pala constituency, where Shone contested, suggest that the Christian vote share remained largely intact. However, despite these stable numbers, BJP leadership remains dissatisfied, as the results failed to deliver the decisive breakthrough they had anticipated."
While the BJP initially targeted victories in 12 of its 30 'Class A' constituencies, the party is now assessing how much the controversial FCRA amendments eroded support in each of these key battlegrounds.
The constituencies where the BJP pins high hopes include Nemom, Kazhakootam, Manjeshwar, and Palakkad.
