Amit Shah urged BJP workers in Kerala to aim for forming government despite setbacks in local body polls.
Thiruvananthapuram
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday struck an optimistic and combative note while addressing party workers in Kerala, urging them to dream of installing the Bharatiya Janata Party’s first-ever Chief Minister in the state. Speaking in Thiruvananthapuram, Shah sought to energise cadres despite the BJP falling well short of the electoral benchmark he had earlier set ahead of the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections.
Addressing newly elected BJP and National Democratic Alliance representatives at a convention centre in Kowdiar, Shah acknowledged the challenges revealed by the results of the 2025 local body elections. During a previous visit to Kerala on July 12, 2025, Shah had asserted that the road to the Secretariat in 2026 would pass through the local body polls, setting an ambitious target of securing at least 25 per cent vote share.
However, the BJP concluded the local body elections with a vote share of 14.80 per cent, significantly below the stated goal. The party’s most notable achievement was winning the mayoral post in Thiruvananthapuram, a solitary success amid otherwise modest gains. Turning this victory into a symbolic milestone, Shah highlighted its political and emotional significance for the party.
Earlier in the day, the Union Home Minister visited the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, one of the most revered temples in the country. Recalling a pledge he had made earlier, Shah said he had vowed to offer prayers at the temple if the BJP succeeded in winning the mayor’s post in the state capital.
I am coming here straight after paying obeisance to the Lord, Shah told party workers, triggering loud applause and chants from the gathering. He described the mayoral victory as a sign of growing acceptance of the BJP among Kerala’s voters and insisted it should be seen as a foundation for future expansion rather than an end in itself.
