BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar
| Photo Credit: Nirmal Harindran
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fielding seven Christian candidates for the Kerala elections displays the get together’s gambit to woo the Christian community, historically supporters of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), in the State.
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According to Census 2011, Christians make up round 18.4% of Kerala’s inhabitants.
In its two candidate lists to this point, the BJP has named Union Minister George Kurian from Kanjirappally, P. C. George from Poonjar, Anoop Antony Joseph from Thiruvalla, Shone George from Pala, Lijoy Paul from Mankada, Bijoy Thomas from Ollur, and M. J. Job from Alappuzha.
The BJP has been elevating points regarding the Christian community as a part of its technique, together with extending help to the community in the Munambam land case involving a dispute between the Waqf Board and locals. The State BJP intervened constructively when two nuns have been arrested in Chhattisgarh on expenses of trafficking with out proof. Interestingly, the get together has steered away from its marquee points in northern India, the sale and consumption of beef and different dietary injunctions.
But will the candidatures and outreach programmes allow the get together to beat its Hindutva picture in a State of variety?
Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Joseph, the BJP’s State normal secretary and Thiruvalla candidate, thought of it “ironic” that the BJP was being characterised as communal.
“It is an irony that the BJP is considered to be a party of a particular section of Kerala, when BJP is the real secular party of Kerala, holding the principle of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ of Prime Minister Modi. Here in Kerala, the party like the Indian Union Muslim League which has the name of a particular religion is called secular, whereas BJP which has ‘janata’ (people) in its name is called communal. This narrative has been set by Congress and CPI(M) to polarise minority votes,” he mentioned.
Mr. Joseph mentioned that the BJP’s efforts to realize the help of the Christian community have been evident in Union Minister Suresh Gopi’s victory in the Thrissur Lok Sabha seat. “The community’s votes will be the reason for the BJP’s victory in these polls,” he mentioned.
The BJP chief mentioned the Congress was “rudderless” in the State and it’ll pay the value for neglecting the problems of the Christian community.
Mr. Joseph is taken into account one of many Christian faces projected by the BJP who isn’t a newcomer, however has been via the get together organisation. He was nationwide secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha workforce and can also be accountable for the Modi archive undertaking, which is digitally amassing oral and written data associated to Prime Minister Modi’s life.
The BJP has needed to be counterintuitive with regard to its technique in Kerala, after its success in Hindi-speaking States in northern India. A brand new playbook in the State has been lengthy in framing with the execution to be examined in these Assembly polls.
Published – March 19, 2026 08:09 pm IST
