New Delhi, July 12 (IANS) Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah is set to embark on a packed one-day visit to Kerala on Saturday, where he will inaugurate the new BJP state headquarters located on K.G. Marar Road in Thiruvananthapuram at 10:30 A.M. and also review poll preparedness for the fast approaching Assembly polls.

The ceremony will include the hoisting of the party flag, a tree plantation on the office premises, and the unveiling of a bust of K.G. Marar, the former state BJP President and a prominent figure in the party’s Kerala unit.

Following the inauguration, at 11:15 A.M., HM Shah will address the ‘Viksit Keralam Sammelan,’ a ward-level leadership meet of the BJP, at Putharikandam Maidan in Thiruvananthapuram.

The event is expected to draw a massive crowd of around 36,000 grassroots leaders from Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, and Alappuzha districts.

Leaders from other districts will join the event virtually, ensuring statewide participation.

The gathering is being seen as a major mobilisation effort in preparation for the upcoming local polls.

At 2:00 P.M., the Union Home Minister will chair a closed-door meeting with the BJP’s state leadership to review election preparedness, organisational strategy, and booth-level planning.

The meeting is expected to finalise ground-level action points to strengthen the party’s position in the state, where it has been working steadily to expand its footprint.

Later in the day, HM Shah will travel to Taliparamba in Kannur district, where he will offer prayers at the revered Rajarajeswara Temple at 4:30 P.M. before departing for New Delhi at 7 P.M.

The visit comes at a time when political activities are intensifying in Kerala with the Assembly elections expected to be held next year.

The next Kerala Legislative Assembly election is expected to be held in May 2026. This election will be held to elect 140 MLAs to the 15th Kerala Legislative Assembly. The current tenure of the Kerala government is from May 24, 2021, to May 23, 2026.

–IANS

rs/rad