Thiruvananthapuram/New Delhi: AICC general secretary K C Venugopal on Sunday said that the BJP was attempting to create a false narrative by claiming major gains in the Kerala local body elections, PTI reported.
Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Venugopal said that out of the state's total 1,199 local bodies, the BJP had increased its tally in only eight.
"Yesterday, the Prime Minister (Modi), Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, and other BJP leaders, rallying behind each other, claimed that Kerala has witnessed a major change. Yes, they have won the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, and I am not taking that lightly. But beyond that corporation, they do not have a single seat in the Thiruvananthapuram district panchayat," he said.
Comparing the results with the 2020 local body elections, Venugopal said the BJP lost its majority in the Palakkad and Pandalam municipalities, though it won two new municipalities this time.
"They are trying to project a false narrative that Kerala is moving towards the BJP. This is a PR-driven effort by the Prime Minister and others to alter the mindset of the people," he said.
Venugopal said that as the party ruling at the Centre, the BJP would naturally win a few seats.
"In 2020, the BJP controlled 21 local bodies. This time, it has won 29. That means the BJP's presence is still less than one per cent of Kerala's local bodies," he said, adding that such "foul tactics" would not work in the state.
He reiterated that the Congress and the UDF have a clear stand of preventing the BJP from gaining a foothold in Kerala, but asserted that sharing power with parties such as the CPI(M) in the name of stopping the BJP was unthinkable.