Party leaders cite lack of major development projects and organisational weaknesses behind setback
Kochi, 07 May (H.S.): The decline in the BJP’s vote share across Assembly segments under the Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency has sparked intense internal discussions within the party, with several leaders and workers holding Thrissur MP and Union Minister Suresh Gopi, along with the state leadership, responsible for the disappointing performance.
Party insiders said the BJP failed to effectively build on the momentum generated by Suresh Gopi’s historic Lok Sabha victory from Thrissur in 2024. According to them, the inability to secure major Central government projects for Kerala weakened the party’s development narrative and impacted voter confidence during the Assembly elections.
“The expectations were very high after Kerala elected its first BJP MP from Thrissur. Suresh Gopi should have been able to persuade the Central leadership to sanction at least one major project for the state. Such a development would have strengthened the public perception that the BJP is committed to Kerala’s growth,” a senior BJP leader said.
Party workers have reportedly been demanding projects such as AIIMS and the proposed Central Forensic Science Research Laboratory, both of which had earlier been promised but are yet to materialise.
Leaders acknowledged that Suresh Gopi’s personal popularity played a decisive role in the BJP’s Lok Sabha success in Thrissur. However, they stressed that sustaining electoral support required visible developmental achievements on the ground.
The BJP’s performance in the Thrissur Assembly constituency has particularly surprised party leaders. While the party managed to improve its vote share in Manalur and Nattika compared to the 2021 Assembly election, results in the remaining five Assembly segments were viewed as disappointing.
Internal booth-level assessments had projected that BJP candidate Padmaja Venugopal would secure nearly 43,000 votes, including committed party votes and personal support. However, she eventually polled only 28,662 votes — around 15,000 fewer than expected. Similar declines in vote share were reported from Ollur, Irinjalakuda, and Pudukkad constituencies.
Responding to the outcome, Padmaja Venugopal refrained from directly criticising the leadership and said the party would review the results to identify the reasons behind the setback.
Meanwhile, BJP state vice-president and Guruvayur candidate B. Gopalakrishnan defended the party’s campaign strategy, stating that efforts to consolidate Hindu votes had succeeded to some extent. However, he admitted that weak organisational strength in Guruvayur prevented the BJP from achieving the expected outcome.
He further argued that the consolidation of Hindu votes had, in some constituencies, indirectly benefited the Left Democratic Front and contributed to the defeat of Muslim League candidates. Gopalakrishnan also maintained that comparing Lok Sabha and Assembly election voting patterns was unfair, as both elections operate under entirely different political dynamics.
(With inputs from H.S.) Inputs & Images courtesy: Hindusthan Samachar (H.S.)
Edited by: Dikshita Bollu
Last Updated on: Thursday, May 7, 2026 1:43 pm by Bollu Dikshitha | Published by: Bollu Dikshitha on Thursday, May 7, 2026 1:43 pm | News Categories: India
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