Kerala’s political script has taken an unexpected turn. For the first time in the state’s history, the BJP-led NDA has secured control of the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation, ending decades-long dominance of the Left Democratic Front. What was once considered an impregnable Left bastion has now opened its gates to a new political force.
This victory is more than a local body result—it signals a psychological and political shift in Kerala’s urban electorate. Despite one ward’s polling being postponed due to a candidate’s death, the mandate is clear enough to redraw the political map of the capital city.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s swift response, thanking the people of Kerala and calling the mandate a rejection of both UDF and LDF, underlines the BJP’s attempt to frame this win as the beginning of a broader transformation—Vikasita Keralam becoming the new catchphrase.
