File photo: Union home minister Amit Shah (Picture credit: PTI)
NEW DELHI: Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday said the Bharatiya Janata Party’s support base in Kerala is steadily expanding and expressed confidence that the BJP will form the government in the state in the upcoming Assembly elections this year.Addressing a gathering of newly elected local body representatives, Shah cited the party’s rising vote share over the years to back his claim. “In 2014, we received 11% of the vote; in 2019, 16%; and in 2024, 20%. Now, the journey from 20% to 30% and 40% won’t be that long, and we will prove this in 2026,” he said. ‘We have already achieved this across the country, but now it’s Kerala’s turn… This time, a BJP chief minister will definitely be elected in Kerala’, Shah said.Shah added that the BJP’s growth in Kerala was not limited to urban areas and reflected wider public support.He pointed to recent local body results, noting that the BJP has won 30 gram panchayats, two municipalities, and currently holds the mayor’s post in Thiruvananthapuram. Shah said these gains were possible due to the efforts and sacrifices of party workers and dedicated the party’s success to those who had faced jail terms and their families. Shah also launched a sharp attack on the ruling Left Democratic Front and the Congress-led United Democratic Front, criticising both for what he described as an over-reliance on remittances from Keralites working abroad. He argued that the state needed a more balanced development model. “Kerala’s development should be balanced,” he said, questioning whether the current model adequately addressed the needs of families that do not benefit from overseas remittances.”The LDF and UDF governments in Kerala are content with the money sent by Keralites working abroad… While I appreciate Keralites working abroad, I want to ask the LDF and UDF whether it is the responsibility of the Kerala government to care for those families whose members don’t send money from abroad… Whose responsibility is it to bring about improvements for those millions of people?” Shah said.Referring to governance in BJP- and NDA-ruled states, Shah said they had been transformed through what he called a balanced development approach under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Today, I have come to tell the people of Kerala that wherever the BJP and NDA have come to power, they have transformed those states into developed states… PM Modi has presented a balanced development model to the world,” he said.He urged Kerala to move beyond “one-dimensional” development and plan growth that benefits every citizen.Shah’s visit to Kerala also includes interactions with party leaders and participation in political and development-related programmes ahead of the Assembly elections later this year.
