BJP breaks Kerala drought with Chathanoor win, signals renewed foothold in state

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a result with clear political significance, the BJP has staged a comeback in Kerala after five years, clinching a decisive victory in the Chathanoor Assembly seat.

Former Congress worker B.B. Gopakumar delivered the breakthrough, defeating CPI candidate R. Rajendran by a margin of 4,002 votes, marking a rare electoral gain for the party in a state long dominated by the CPI-M-led LDF and the Congress-led UDF.

Gopakumar said this is a victory for PM Narendra Modi and "it happened through the hard work of our party workers".

"This became a reality a decade after we became second in 2016. Like PM often says that he is a humble worker, I will also be a humble worker and be with the people in Chathanoor," he said

Gopakumar’s win is notable not just for the margin but for what it represents, a strategic breach in a constituency where the BJP had consistently fallen short, finishing as runner-up in the previous two elections.

His crossover from Congress appears to have consolidated anti-incumbency sentiment while attracting a section of traditional UDF voters, underscoring a potential shift in local political equations.

The contest also featured Suraj Ravi, son of veteran Congress leader Thoppil Ravi, who finished third, highlighting a fragmentation of the opposition vote that may have aided the BJP’s path to victory.