Kerala has seen BJP’s Rajya Sabha members being inducted as central ministers, but this is the first time ever that a Lok Sabha member of the saffron party may get a cabinet portfolio. The BJP’s vote share in the state shot up by around 2% from 15.6% in 2019 general elections to 17.6% in 2024.
Suresh Gopi is the first big star from the Malayalam film industry to join the BJP. Gopi has worked in around 250 movies. The veteran actor has previously campaigned for LDF and UDF alliances as well. In April 2016, he was nominated by the President of India under the category of eminent personalities and became an MP in the Rajya Sabha. In October 2016, he officially joined the BJP.
Rise of Saffron in Kerala
Kerala is one of the few states where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has experienced a substantial rise. From a modest vote share of around 10% in the 2014 general elections, the party increased its share to approximately 15% in 2019.
This steady growth underscores the BJP’s expanding influence in a state traditionally dominated by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF).In Kerala, it has always been a fight between the RSS and the Communists. Later, it took a different shape with Congress being another strong and influential political power in the state.