Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 10 (IANS) As Kerala heads into local body polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has sharpened its campaign pitch with State party President Rajeev Chandrasekhar declaring that the elections offer an opportunity to bring a “change in the state’s political culture”.

The BJP, Chandrasekhar said, is asking voters for just one chance to prove that “governance can be clean, transparent, and people-oriented”.

“The BJP is seeking a single opportunity to show what efficient and corruption-free administration means. The people of Kerala are ready for change,” Chandrasekhar told reporters soon after the announcement of the election schedule.

He added that the party will announce its complete list of candidates within two days.

“Our message is simple — give us one chance to work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to solve the problems people have faced for decades,” he said.

Chandrasekhar cited civic issues like garbage mismanagement, stray dog menace, and poor infrastructure in Thiruvananthapuram Corporation as examples of governance failure under the Left Democratic front (LDF) and the united Democratic Front (UDF).

“This is not about ideology — it’s about performance. For 10 years, these problems remain unsolved. We want to create a Vikasitha Kerala — developed cities, panchayats, and municipalities,” he said, adding that the BJP’s model of governance would be based on accountability and people’s participation.

Echoing the same sentiment, former State BJP President K. Surendran accused the Congress of working covertly to help the LDF in Thiruvananthapuram.

“K. Muraleedharan is openly trying to aid the Left. The UDF’s enthusiasm today is not to win, but to ensure that the BJP doesn’t,” Surendran said in Kozhikode.

He alleged that the UDF has entered into “secret pacts” with Jamaat-e-Islami and the SDPI, and that similar understandings exist between the two main fronts across the state.

Surendran said the BJP and its allies have been preparing systematically for six months, forming election management committees in every ward.

“The NDA will retain Palakkad and Pandalam municipalities and capture more urban bodies this time. We are going to the people with a clear development agenda and the promise of a permanent solution to Kerala’s stagnation,” he added.

Highlighting Centre’s support for Kerala’s local bodies over the past decade, he accused both the LDF and UDF of failing to utilise funds effectively.

“People have not benefited because of their inefficiency and political interests,” Surendran said.

With development and integrity as its twin poll planks, the BJP is positioning itself as the credible alternative to Kerala’s entrenched political order.

In the 2020 local body elections, the LDF secured 40.2 per cent of the vote, followed by the Congress-led UDF with 37.9 per cent, and the BJP-led NDA with 15 per cent.

During that election, the Left won 314 gram panchayats, 198 block panchayats, 11 district panchayats, 43 municipalities, and five corporations, while the UDF bagged 321, 38, three, 41, and one, respectively.

The BJP bagged 19 gram panchayats and three municipalities.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during a recent meeting with state BJP leaders, had set a target of 25 per cent vote share for the NDA in Kerala — a statement sharply criticised by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who warned the people against what he termed a “dangerous agenda”.

And if Home Minister Shah’s words translate to reality, definitely in a triangular contest, BJP in Kerala can definitely if they do their homework can improve their performance as the bigger battle lies in April/May next year when the state goes to the Assembly polls, where at present the 140-member Kerala Assembly doesn’t have a single MLA.

–IANS

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