BJP wins three seats in Kerala for the first time
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The BJP registered its best-ever performance in the Kerala Assembly elections by winning three seats.
The BJP won in Nemom, Chathannoor, and Kazhakoottam, marking a significant expansion for the party in a state where it has historically struggled to gain electoral ground. Before this election, the BJP had won only one Assembly seat in Kerala, when O Rajagopal secured Nemom in 2016.
Former Union minister V Muraleedharan won from Kazhakoottam with 51,923 votes, BB Gopakumar won Chathannoor with 44,429 votes, and BJP Kerala president Rajeev Chandrasekhar emerged victorious from Nemom with 48,995 votes.
Reacting to the results, Chandrasekhar said the outcome was a clear response from voters to the Congress and CPI(M), both of which had claimed during the campaign that the BJP would fail to win seats in the state.
According to Election Commission data, Gopakumar had built a lead of more than 4,400 votes in Chathannoor after 14 of the 16 counting rounds.
Despite the BJP’s gains, the election delivered a sweeping victory for the UDF, which is set to form the next government.
The LDF suffered major losses amid strong anti-incumbency sentiment, with several ministers in Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s cabinet defeated. Vijayan himself was set to retain Dharmadam, though with a sharply reduced winning margin compared to the 2021 election.
The defeat also carries national significance for the Left, as it could mark the first time since 1977 that no Indian state has a communist government.