Prime Minister Narendra Modi will make his third electoral campaign foray into Kerala this year by addressing a mammoth public rally marking the conclusion of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State president K. Surendran’s Kerala Padayatra at Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday.
There is a palpable rise of anticipation among BJP workers and National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners in Kerala that Mr. Modi may announce the names of Lok Sabha candidates in 20 parliamentary segments in the State at the rally.
Moreover, the BJP reckons Thiruvananthapuram to be a top-category constituency where it believes it has a robust fighting chance to emerge victorious at the hustings. There is also much speculation that the BJP might field a high-profile national-level leader from Thiruvananthapuram to best Congress Working Committee member and incumbent MP Shashi Tharoor. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP had garnered 31% of the votes polled in the constituency.
It is calculated that Mr. Modi’s popularity, die-hard BJP votes, and the Christian community’s perceived affinity towards the Prime Minister’s economic and security agenda will help the party open an account in the State, either in Thiruvananthapuram, Attingal, Pathanamthitta, or Thrissur.
BJP district secretary V.V. Rajesh said Mr. Modi had not announced any roadshow, a high-profile fixture in his campaigns outside New Delhi.
Mr. Modi would land at the technical area controlled by the Indian Air Force at the Thiruvananthapuram international airport. He would then chair an official function at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre at Thumba. Mr. Rajesh said many people cutting across political lines would attend the meeting.
The BJP appears intent to make inroads into the sizeable Latin Catholic community, a crucial voting bloc in the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency. The community has traditionally backed the Congress. However, the BJP reportedly sensed a shift in the community’s political preferences, which it believes could work to the NDA’s advantage.
As a precursor to wooing Latin Catholic votes, the BJP has reportedly arranged for a group of women from fisherfolk families to interact with Mr. Modi. Mr. Rajesh said the party awaited the PMO’s nod for the meeting.
He said thousands of BJP workers across the district would converge at the stadium. Huge hoardings and BJP supporters lining the road would welcome Mr. Modi.
