Kerala local body polls: BJP captures power in Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, ending decades-long LDF rule

Ending implicit 4 decades of the Left Democratic Front’s (LDF) clasp implicit the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (BJP-NDA) secured powerfulness successful the civic body, possibly the astir important section assemblage successful Kerala, arsenic the results of the section assemblage polls were declared connected Saturday (December 13, 2025). The NDA won 50 wards successful the 101-ward Corporation, portion the LDF was reduced to 29 wards.

It is simply a large turnaround for the NDA, which had won lone successful six wards until a decennary ago. In the past 2 section assemblage elections, the BJP had mounted a large propulsion to seizure power, but aft the archetypal surge successful 2015, it had remained astir static successful 2020. Its nonaccomplishment successful consequent byelections besides signalled a weakening of its hold. However, the results this clip person defied each specified projections. The value of the triumph was underscored by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who tweeted: “The mandate the BJP-NDA got successful the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation is simply a watershed infinitesimal successful Kerala’s politics.”

The United Democratic Front (UDF) enactment up an improved showing, winning 19 seats, arsenic it reversed the downward inclination witnessed successful the erstwhile 2 elections. The UDF’s tally had slumped from 40 to 21 successful 2015, and further to 10 successful 2020. However, its gains this twelvemonth look to person travel astatine the outgo of the LDF arsenic 12 of the 19 wards that it won are the LDF’s sitting seats.

The LDF camp, which exuded assurance of improving its tally of 51 seats secured successful the past election, slumped to a shocking defeat, losing immoderate wards successful which they person ne'er lost. For instance, the UDF won successful the Muttada ward, which was successful the spotlight earlier the polls aft the State Election Commission (SEC) restored the sanction of Vyshna Suresh, the Congress candidate, pursuing the involution of the Kerala High Court. Though the LDF and the NDA were progressive successful a neck-and-neck fight, with prospects of adjacent a hung verdict successful the archetypal hours, the NDA soon pulled away, maintaining a wide pb which lone accrued arsenic the counting progressed.

The BJP, which successful the tally up to the predetermination was roiled by allegations that surfaced pursuing the suspected termination of its councillor arsenic good arsenic different enactment idiosyncratic and corruption allegations successful different cooperative societies, was seemingly unaffected by each of it. The enactment has consolidated its presumption successful wards that it won successful the past 2 elections. Its margins person mostly accrued successful the wards that it managed to seizure for the archetypal clip successful 2015.

Even arsenic the LDF won each the 4 municipalities arsenic good arsenic the territory panchayat successful Thiruvananthapuram, the nonaccomplishment of powerfulness successful the Corporation and the erosion of municipality votes could beryllium a origin for interest for the enactment up of the Assembly elections adjacent year.

Among large candidates, BJP’s R. Sreelekha, erstwhile Director General of Police (DGP) won from Sasthamangalam by a borderline of implicit 600 votes. She had courted contention connected polling time by sharing a fake sentiment canvass connected her societal media leafage and is facing the imaginable of enactment related to canvass codification violations. Former Congress MLA K.S. Sabarinadhan won by a tiny borderline of 74 votes from the Kowdiar ward. All of the LDF’s elder brigade, who were touted to beryllium Mayor candidates, including S.P. Deepak, Vanchiyoor P. Babu, K. Sreekumar and R.P. Sivaji won.

Communist Party of India (CPI) person and erstwhile Deputy Mayor Rakhi Ravikumar secured her 4th consecutive victory, portion Congress (S) person Palayam Rajan’s decades-long stint arsenic an LDF councillor came to extremity with the nonaccomplishment astatine Nanthencode. BJP person V.V. Rajesh won by a comfy borderline from Kodunganoor.

Speaking to mediapersons aft the victory, BJP State president Rajeev Chandrasekhar said that the radical of Kerala person begun accepting the slogan of ‘Vikasita Keralam’ (developed Kerala) enactment guardant by the BJP. He said that the results are a reflection of the nonaccomplishment of the LDF-led State authorities arsenic good arsenic the Corporation.