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Kerala News

The New Indian Express News

Kerala / The New Indian Express

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BJPs quiet Christian outreach reshaping loyalties over time

KOCHI: For decades, Keralas Christian electorate was seen as a largely settled constituency, divided mainly between the Congress-led UDF and, in pockets, the Left. The latest local body election results, however, suggest that this assumption is beginning to fray. While the BJPs seat gains remain limited, the party believes its focused Christian outreach has triggered a measurable vote shift one that may not yet deliver widespread victories, but is steadily altering the electoral arithmetic. The early signs are most visible in central Kerala. In Poonjar, the UDF topped the table with five seats, but the NDA finished second with four seats and also emerged runners-up in two divisions, pushing the LDF to third place. In the Erattupetta block panchayat, the NDA won just two of the 14 wards, yet polled between 1,000 and 1,200 votes in many divisions and lost three seats by margins of a little over 100 votes a performance the BJP says would have been unthinkable in earlier elections. According to party insiders, these outcomes point to a deliberate long-term political project rather than an election-specific tactic. If you look at Erattupetta and Pala, the NDA vote share is higher than that of the LDF. In Poonjar, the LDF has slipped to third place after the BJP. There has been a vote shift towards us not total, but undeniable, said Shone George, BJP state vice-president. He argues that a section of Christian voters who backed the Left in the previous election has now gravitated towards the BJP. This shift, he said, is evident in district panchayat segments such as Thalanadu, Poonjar, Mundakkayam, Kanjirappally, and Ponkunnam, all considered Christian belts. In these areas, we are now averaging around 10,000 votes. Earlier, we barely touched 2,000, he said. The BJP leadership insists its performance cannot be judged merely by seats won. Look at where we lost and how we lost, Shone said, pointing to eight seats in the Erattupetta block panchayat where the party finished a close second. Margins of 100 votes this kind of performance is new for us. Today, in every district, we have created more than 100 identifiable Christian faces. That groundwork will matter in the years ahead. At the core of this change, the party claims, is its Christian outreach programme. BJP leaders say voters disenchanted with the Congress and uncomfortable with the CPM are beginning to see the party as an alternative, and that this consolidation has directly contributed to Left losses in several pockets. Sceptics remain unconvinced. George Jacob, a veteran political observer, said there is no clear evidence of BJP making inroads into Christian segments. He noted that the community remains cautious about the party, particularly in the backdrop of violence against Christians in parts of north India. I dont think the BJP has made real inroads, though some small sections have distanced themselves from the Congress, he said. For now, the BJP concedes that its growing acceptance among Christians is not fully reflected in control of panchayats, municipalities, or corporations. In BJPs own telling, the Christian outreach is an investment one aimed at reshaping loyalties over time, not harvesting instant wins. Altering electoral arithmetic BJP believes its Christian outreach has triggered a measurable vote shift one that is steadily altering the electoral arithmetic. This can be seen in municipal and urban results In Changanassery, the NDA won nine of the 37 wards, while the BJP secured six seats each in Kottayam and Erattupetta municipalities. In Aymanam panchayat, the BJP emerged as the single largest party, winning nine seats against seven for the LDF and five for the UDF a symbolic breakthrough in a Christian-dominated area

15 Dec 2025 9:02 am