When did the BJP open its account for the first time in Kerala Assembly and who was the winner?
In the 2021 Kerala Legislative Assembly election, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) contested 115 out of the 140 seats, yet it failed to win a single seat. Despite increasing its overall vote share slightly compared to 2016, the party could not convert its support into legislative representation.
Kerala is gearing up for its next assembly election, with voting scheduled on April 9. All 140 constituencies of the Kerala Legislative Assembly will go to the polls in a single phase. The counting of votes is set for May 4. The election is expected to witness intense competition among the three main political forces in the state: the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF), and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The LDF, which has governed the state in recent years, is facing challenges after underwhelming results in local body elections. The UDF aims to regain power, while the BJP is working to expand its presence in Kerala.
This election will see participation from 2.71 crore registered voters. Among them, 1.31 crore are male, 1.38 crore are female, and 277 voters identify as transgender. Polling will be conducted across 25,231 stations throughout the state.
The current Kerala Legislative Assembly’s term is due to end on May 23.
BJP performance in last election (2021 Assembly Polls)
In the 2021 Kerala Legislative Assembly election, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) contested 115 out of the 140 seats, yet it failed to win a single seat. Despite increasing its overall vote share slightly compared to 2016, the party could not convert its support into legislative representation due to the strong two-front contest between the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF).
The BJP’s vote share in 2021 stood at approximately 11.3 per cent, reflecting a modest improvement from the 10.5 per cent it had garnered in 2016. When combined with its allies in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the overall vote share was around 12.4 per cent.
BJP’s first victory in Kerala
The Bharatiya Janata Party secured its first-ever Assembly seat in Kerala during the 2016 elections. Contesting 115 seats across the state, the saffron party managed to win only the Nemom constituency.
BJP candidate O Rajagopal emerged victorious in Nemom, defeating his rivals by a clear margin. He received 67,813 votes, accounting for 47.46 per cent of the total votes, and won by a margin of 8,671 votes.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) candidate V Sivankutty came in second with 59,142 votes, representing 41.39 per cent of the vote share. The third position was taken by JDU’s V Surendran Pillai, who secured 13,860 votes.