Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Ahead of assembly elections in Kerala, PM Narendra Modi delivered a pep talk to party members recently elected to the state’s local bodies and asked them to build up its agenda of good governance and deepen its connect with the masses, asserting that voters are fed up with the ruling LDF and main opposition UDF.Modi said, “It is clear that Kerala is fed up of LDF and UDF and is looking to NDA with great hope. Therefore, elected members from BJP-NDA will work at the grassroots and address the challenges faced by the people.”Meeting them at his residence, he called the party’s performance in the state, including its maiden mayoral win in the Thiruvananthapuram corporation, historic.In a post on X, Modi said, “Discussed a wide range of subjects, notably ways to deepen BJP’s connect with the people, further our good governance agenda and further ‘Ease of Living.'” He recalled BJP’s long struggle in the state to emerge as a force and paid tributes to party members who had worked for decades to establish its footprint in Kerala.“It is due to their selfless efforts that we have grown across the state. In the coming times, the BJP will grow even further in Kerala,” he said.In 2024 LS polls, BJP won its first ever seat in Kerala and earned nearly 17% of votes (over 19% with allies).The party is hopeful of making further inroads in the southern state in the polls and has drawn comfort from its performance in local bodies’ elections, especially in the capital Thiruvananthapuram.BJP has provided high visibility to the visit by local bodies’ members, who arrived here Wednesday for a three-day administrative and governance skills development programme titled “BJ Viksit Keralam”, designed to empower local netas with knowledge of democratic mechanisms.
