As a native son, I believe the BJP’s 50/101 seats in the Thiruvananthapuram corporation in the recently concluded local body elections are an interesting outcome. But it must not be taken in isolation, and one must accept that this is neither a breakthrough for the BJP in the deep south nor a mere footnote in the CPI(M)-Congress duopoly that has been the hallmark of Kerala politics. There are a lot of local factors, but yes, perhaps there is an underlying, nascent realignment.

There is anti-incumbency: there used to be, like clockwork, one term for the UDF, one term for the LDF. But now, the CPI-M has been ruling for ten years in a row, and the voters may be fed up with them. In Thiruvananthapuram, for instance, the outgoing mayor, Arya Rajendran, who is in her 20s, has a well-deserved reputation for arrogance. Tellingly, she did not campaign in 2025.

But there is more.

There are at least four extraordinary factors at play here: one is the vanity that Kerala politics is somehow superior to politics elsewhere in (southern) India, because, you know, it is the 100% literate state. This is far from the truth. Mere literacy, that is, knowing the syntax of written language, does not guarantee you understand the semantics, that is, the ability to think critically rather than be gaslighted. The average Kerala voter is as easily manipulated as any other.

Second, regional tensions. Kerala consists of three distinct regions: northern Malabar, which was under British rule, which meant it was plundered and underdeveloped. It is also Muslim-dominated. Central Kochi, which was a moderately dynamic dynasty, is Christian-dominated. Southern Travancore, which was under a strong dynasty (but came under the sway of the British), and is Hindu-majority.

Third, the erstwhile consensus around “secularism" is fraying: it is now increasingly seen as merely a shibboleth meant to hypnotise the Hindu community into caste-based internecine conflict and keep it a permanent underclass, with fewer rights than those of other religions. The shocking neglect, occasional desecration of, and outright large-scale theft from major temples such as Sabarimala may now be turning into a bit of an issue for the lay Hindu.

Fourth, after half a century of left-wing politics, it is becoming increasingly clear to the average Keralite that it is being left behind in development and prosperity.........

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