Minority consolidation likely in Thiruvananthapuram, but still hopeful of win: BJP’s Rajagopal

In 2014, it was Rajagopal who had fought on BJP ticket only to go down to Tharoor in the final rounds of counting by around 15,000 votes.

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BJP leader O Rajagopal (Left).

BJP’s tallest leader in Kerala and it’s sole MLA in the state Assembly, O Rajagopal, suggested the chances of a minority consolidation against the party in Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency but nevertheless expressed hope that the party would open it’s parliamentary account in the state this time.

The Thiruvananthapuram constituency is among the two seats the saffron party is hoping to win this time, considering how it had come very close last time. The party ran a high-voltage campaign, balanced on the plank of religious sentiments on Sabarimala, and nominated former state president and former Mizoram Governor Kummanam Rajasekharan as its candidate. Rajasekharan, a fringe leader, was up against two-time Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and CPI nominee C Divakaran.

Talking to reporters in Kochi before attending the party’s core-committee meeting, Rajagopal said, “After evaluating the party’s work, there are very good chances (of our victory in Thiruvananthapuram). Minority consolidation (in favour of other candidates) may happen, we had expected that. But we know that an atmosphere in favour of the BJP has developed. We are confident that we would be able to overcome (the minority) consolidation.”

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In 2014, it was Rajagopal who had fought on BJP ticket only to go down to Tharoor in the final rounds of counting by around 15,000 votes. Post results, the party’s evaluation was that while it was able to retain good leads in the constituency’s urban segments, home to large Hindu population, it trailed heavily behind Tharoor in coastal segments such as Kovalam and Parassala which have abundant Latin Catholic voters.

This time, the BJP worked over-time with heavy participation of Sangh Parivar cadres in Thiruvananthapuram, sharpening its focus on the Sabarimala agitation with the hope of getting Hindus in the constituency to vote en masse for it. As opposed to other constituencies, where the gap between the BJP candidate and the winning candidate is enormously large to overcome, Thiruvananthapuram with the 15,000 vote gap is easier to wrest, the party hopes. There’s also a feeling within the party that the CPI candidate being strong, a split in the coastal Christian votes between the UDF and LDF camps may pave the way for its victory.

Kerala remains the last among the big states in the country where the saffron party is yet to register a Lok Sabha victory. The state has routinely seen bipolar politics between coalitions led by the CPM and the Congress.