BJP’s Gain in Neyyattinkara and Lessons to learn

From 4% the BJP has gone upto 25% in its vote share at Nayyattinkara which indeed is a very encouraging sign. It is appreciated that there has been a concentration of Hindu vote which in fact slipped mostly from the LDF share. Also evident from the results are the almost total consolidation of Nadar Christian votes which in spite of many odds  made Selvaraj the winner.

No doubt that a good number of Nairs and Ezhavas voted for Rajagopal which is a welcome change at a place where the UDF stalwarts like Ramesh Chennithala, Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, and Anil Kumar etc have been vigorously campaigning. Yesterday President of Kerala Viswakarma Sabha President Adv.P.R. Devdas made a statement that the reason for the defeat of Rajagopal has been BJP’s failure in gaining support of the scheduled casts and scheduled tribes and added that there are about 14000 Viswakarmas in Neyyattinkara.  With the known support from Nairs and Ezhavas, if there had been a more serious effort to consolidate the votes of the SC/STs as well, the election result would have been different.

It is true that the main issue BJP raised during the campaign was about the 5th Muslim League minister. But the seriousness of the issue really did not get into the minds and hearts of the category who are kept below the poverty line and maintained that way with subsidized rations, free electricity, water connections, a free goat, a couple of hens and the like.  They are the lot casting 100% vote and make a candidate winner or looser. 

No doubt that the votes gained by Rajagopal are not all for BJP, but for his personal charisma as well.  So, the lessons from Neyyattinkara could be the choice of right candidate and a grass route level campaign to attract the votes of common man among the Hindus. The congress Hindu and Communist Hindu for whom the subsistence and survival depends on their allegiance to the party will not come out easily, but the common man definitely could bring about the changes.

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