 Summary of this article
- The BJP won three seats, its best-ever showing in Kerala.
- Victories in Nemom and Kazhakoottam came with razor-thin margins.
- Despite an 11.42% vote share, BJP trails parties like the Indian Union Muslim League in turning votes into seats.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has historically struggled to gain a foothold in Kerala, where politics has largely been shaped by the dominance of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF). However, the 2026 assembly election ended this long wait for the BJP with the most anticipated results as the party won three seats.
BJP state president and former Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti of India Rajeev Chandrashekhar won from Nemom whereas V. Muraleedharan won from Kazhakoottam and BB Gopakumar won from Chathannur constituency in Kollam. Another notable BJP candidate Sobha Surendran contested from Palakkad but was defeated by Malayali actor and comedian Ramesh Pisharody who was contesting from Indian National Congress.
Before the polls, BJP was in the news for all the bad reasons as its leader Sobha Surendran and his team were allegedly caught distributing cash for vote before polling day and an FIR was filed against her.
Kerala Sees Political Churn: LDF Routed, Congress Surges, BJP Advances
BY N.K. Bhoopesh |
