Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 14 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party’s sweeping performance in Bihar has triggered celebrations within the party’s Kerala unit, which sees the outcome as a timely morale booster ahead of the State’s local body elections scheduled next month.

Party leaders in Kerala say the Bihar mandate has energised cadres and strengthened confidence at a time when the BJP is eyeing major gains, particularly in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation.

The BJP supporters at several places in Kerala have now taken to the streets to celebrate the Bihar performance.

The BJP currently holds 35 of the Corporation’s 101 wards, making it the main Opposition.

The Congress-led UDF trails far behind with just 10 seats.

With the NDA’s emphatic Bihar showing dominating the political conversation, state BJP leaders are already projecting that the “next surprise” could unfold in Kerala.

The party’s only parliamentary presence in the State is the high-profile victory of actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi, who clinched the Thrissur Lok Sabha seat earlier this year.

It has no representation in the 140-member Kerala Assembly, a gap the BJP hopes to narrow by using the momentum generated nationally.

The BJP’s Kerala vote share stands at around 16 per cent.

During his recent visit to the State, Union Home Minister Amit Shah reportedly instructed the State leadership to push the vote share to at least 25 per cent in the December local body polls.

Leaders believe the Bihar verdict will help energise supporters, draw fence-sitters, and reinforce the party’s message that the NDA remains electorally dominant across key regions.

State BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar has said that, as erstwhile traditional political fronts had opportunities to rule the Corporation in the state capital city and have “failed”, the BJP should be given one chance.

The Bihar outcome has also unsettled the Congress in Kerala, which is banking on a revival in the local body polls.

Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala attempted to downplay the result, terming it a victory “for the Election Commission” rather than for the BJP.

The CPI(M), which contested in Bihar as part of the INDIA bloc, also fared poorly – a setback that comes at an inconvenient moment for the ruling LDF in Kerala.

With campaign preparations intensifying across districts, the Bihar mandate has given the BJP its most significant talking point heading into the crucial December elections, setting the stage for an unusually charged local poll season in Kerala.

–IANS

sg/svn