RSS Scores Major Gains for BJP in Kerala, Saffron Front in Strike Position

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: While the news of the BJP opening its account in Kerala Assembly has grabbed headlines , less well known is the deep electoral inroads the saffron party has made in the state.

The NDA vote share in the Assembly elections was a record 15.02 per cent as against 6.05 in the 2006 polls and 10.82 in the last Lok Sabha elections.and 13.28 per cent in the local bodies poll held last year .

The steady rise in the BJP vote share is politically more ominous than the lone victory of O Rajagopalan over sitting CPI(M) candidate Sivan Kutty in the Nemam Constituency by a little over 8000 votes which was facilitated by the Congress led UDF putting up a very weak candidate. The personal appeal of the BJP veteran also played role in the solitary success .

There is no doubt that the BJP benefited from the anti incumbency factor in this elections as never before . The party's candidates finished second in seven constituencies from Manjeswaram in the North where it lost out to Muslim League by a whisker, to Vattiyoorkavu in the south where the RSS leader and BJP state President Kummanam finished behind K . Muraleedharan of the Congress pushing CPI(M)'s T N Seema to the third place.

Each one of these seven second placed candidates got more than 40,000 votes . In 34 constituencies the NDA candidates received more than 20 per cent of all votes polled . In another 30 odd seats the Saffron team won 15 to 20 per cent of the votes .

The NDA thus, turned the fight truly triangular in more than 40 of the 140 constituencies indicating that the the phase of bipolar politics in the state is over . All districts in the state except Kannur , Malappuram and Kottayam saw at least one close triangular fight involving either the BJP or BJDS . Even in a district like Thrissur where the Left virtually swept the board , the NDA candidates performed uniformly well .

The emphatic electoral victory of the CPI(M) led LDF in Kerala should not lead one to turn a blind eye to the increased clout the Hindutva right wing forces have come to acquire in the Left's remaining southern outpost in the country .

The RSS which runs its largest network of shakhas in Kerala was in direct charge of the NDA campaign in the state . It handpicked the BJP state president , enticed Vellappally Natesan to float a new party of Ezhavas , and deputed 200 of its pracharaks to supervise the campaign at the constituency level .

Prime Minister Narendra Modi made three barnstorming visits to Kerala. BJP president Amit Shah was in charge of the high cost high profile campaign .

At one point there were 22 all india leaders of the BJP including half a dozen Union ministers campaigning for the NDA. The RSS supremo in Kerala Gopalan Kutty Master is on record stating that his organization’s effort in Kerala has paid off and it is determined to build on its first success in the state . The secular and democratic parties in the state certainly have their work cut out for them .

(The writer is a senior journalist based in Kerala)