A district which will give a Union Minister to Kerala if BJP gets an additional 50000 votes

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who started BJP's election campaign in the state after the announcement of the first phase of candidates of the party. The BJP had some goals in mind when it made Pathanamthitta the venue of its first general meeting in Kerala. BJP is entering the elections after successfully implementing its agenda of construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya. The Hindutva trump card has always been the BJP's main weapon. The central leadership of the BJP has a concept that Sabarimala is a sacred place for the people in the states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra and Telangana just like how Ayodhya is for people in North India. That is why Modi launched the party's election campaign in Kerala from Pathanamthitta, which includes Sabarimala.

When Modi began his speech in Pathanamthitta by calling out 'Swamiyee Sharanamayyappaa...' four times, tens of thousands of people repeated after him with enthusiasm. In the last parliamentary elections, it was the Sabarimala issue that gave the NDA a boost in Pathanamthitta. However, the BJP is aware that there is no such wave in Pathanamthitta this time. But it is not ready to abandon the Sabarimala issue. NDA is once again raising the slogan of faith and development in Pathanamthitta. Meanwhile, there is a concern within the party that the decision to field a Christian candidate in Pathanamthitta might not be acceptable to the traditional Hindutva supporters. BJP leaders believe that the party will not lose the support of its traditional voters as the opposition candidates are also Christians. They believe that the current vote bank is secure as they seek popular approval for Modi's guarantee.

BJP leaders are saying that the energy of the youth should be used for the development of the country. While visiting the homes of voters, the party leaders are promising that Pathanamthitta will get a Union Minister if Anil Antony wins the election. During his speech in Pathanamthitta, Modi spoke about the central projects implemented in the district. He also attacked the LDF and UDF during the speech. He criticized both fronts for being anti-development and destroying the energy of the youth. According to Modi, both fronts are promoting violence. Communist goons are turning the universities of Kerala into their haven, he said. He also raised many other allegations against the LDF and UDF.

The BJP is gearing up for a new experiment this time in the Pathanamthitta constituency. The constituency attracted national attention when the BJP announced the name of Anil Antony, son of Congress leader AK Antony, as its candidate. The party presented him as its national secretary hoping that he would get the support of the Christian churches as well. The party calculates that Anil Antony would win in Pathanamthitta if he manages to get 50000 more votes in addition to the three lakh votes won by K Surendran in the previous election.