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Kerala / The New Indian Express

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INTERVIEW| Expect saffron surge in local body elections

KOCHI: Kerala has reached the threshold of a development era and the local body election results may herald a political change, says Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS) president and SNDP Yogam vice-president Thushar Vellappally. The NDA will wrest power in Thiruvananthapuram and Thrissur corporations and several municipalities, he told TNIE. Excerpts: Which factors will favour the NDA? NDA-ruled states in North India are witnessing a major transformation in human development while Kerala is lagging behind. Youngsters are leaving the state. The state is financially unstable. People anxious about Keralas future are looking at the NDA as an alternative. What is your development plan for local bodies? In local bodies where NDA is voted to power, we will present a development plan. We will identify schemes for each local body and initiate steps to get funds from the Centre. The state government has refused to implement several central schemes like the PM SHRI on political grounds. Do you think the Sabarimala issue will work in favour of the NDA? I think reports of gold theft at the temple may influence voters in some localities. The Ezhava community has been traditionally affiliated to CPM. Now, BJP is claiming there has been a change in their approach. The change in the communitys outlook has been phenomenal. As per an analysis by the BJP national leadership, around 35-40% of the Ezhavas have started shifting loyalty towards NDA. The formation of BDJS has provided them a platform to get into the national stream. Both NSS and SNDP Yogam general secretaries recently came out in support of the LDF government. Will this confuse members of the communities who are NDA supporters? The community leaders expressed their approval towards the positive initiatives of the government. They have not tried to mobilise votes for any particular party. How is the coordination among NDA allies after Rajeev Chandrasekhar took over as BJP state president? It is excellent. No other party had a president with such calibre. We have to accept his personality. I feel his positive approach will help BJP grow in the state.

29 Nov 2025 7:16 am