Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) defeat in the Assembly election in neighbouring Karnataka has buoyed Kerala’s ruling front and Opposition.
The CPI(M) and Congress appear optimistic about a more likely middle-of-the-road outcome in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections instead of a saffron wave the BJP has strived hard to stir up in south India, particularly Kerala.
Both parties reckon that the Centre’s attempt to fire up Hindu nationalism, its “grandstanding” about high-profile “giveaways” such as the Vande Bharath Express for Kerala, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s charisma as evinced in his high decibel roadshow in Kochi and glad-handing of Church leaders might not be enough for the BJP to upend the State’s traditional voting patterns.
