By Our Special Political Correspondent
Thrissur, June 12 (IVC) The result of the Lok Sabha election in Kerala gave a warning to the ruling LDF led by CPM and opposition UDF led by Indian National Congress that their coziness of the control of the State’s governance either by LDF or by the UDF was a gone a case.
The UDF’s thinking that the minority especially Christians would blindly vote for its candidates had also been changed that the community’ s opposition to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has reduced to a great extent .
BJP candidates in all the constituencies where Christian electorate constituted a major portion have shown a considerable increase in their votes’ percentage . To begin with Thrissur Lok Sabha Constituency where 24.5 per cent of Christian electorate, BJPcandidate and noted Malayalam cine star Suresh Gopi won with a majority of 74,686 votes.
Suresh Gopi secured 4,12,338 votes defeating CPI leader and former Kerala Minister V S Sunil Kumar to the second place and the Congress leader K Muraleedharan to the third place with 3,28,124 votes and Sunil Kumar 3,37,652 votes.
When BJP’s veteran leader O Rajagopal was elected to the Kerala Assembly in 2016 with a majority of 8671 votes , UDF candidates was pushed to the third place.
The Alappuzha Lok Sabha constituency with 21.70 per cent of Christian electorate, BJP candidate Ms Shoba Surendran had secured 2,99,649 votes about 19 per cent of the total votes polled as against 11 per cent votes in 2019.
Mavelikkara Lok Sabha Constituency consisted of 27.92 per cent of Christian electorate , BDJS (BJP’s ally) candidate Biju Kalasala secured 1,42,984 votes reducing Congress candidate’s majority ot only 10,868 votes as against 61,138 votes majority in 2019.
The Attingal Constituency consisted of 29 per cent Christian electorate, the BJP candidate secured 3,11,779 votes, reducing the winner Congress leader Adoor Prakash’s majority to only 684 votes as against his majority of 38,247 votes in 2019.
In Pathanamthitta with a substantial percentage of Christian electorate, BJP had put ups Anil K Antony , veteran Congress leader A K Antony’sson with a great expectation of winning. Though he could not win the election, he gained 2,43,406 votes as against BJP’s below one lakh votes in 2019.
Kottayam constituency consisted with 45.83 per cent Christian electorate, BDJS candidate Thushar Vellappilly secured 2,77,365 votes as against BJP’s 65,000 votes in 2019.
The Chalakudy Constituency with 30 per cent Christian electorate, BDJS candidate secured 1,06,400 votes, reducing the majority of Congress leader Benny Behnan to 63,754 votes as against his majority of 1,32,274 votes in 2019.
The Ernakulam Lok Sabha Constituency consisted of 37.83 per cent of Christian electorate, BJP’s Dr K S Radhakrishnan secured 1,44,500 votes reducing the majority of winner Congress leader Hiby Eden to 1,69,153bvotes as against this majority of 2,50,385 votes in 2019.
It would be observed from the statistics of the results of the Lok Sabha elections , where the Christian electorate constituted a substantial per cent of total electorate, BJP has made considerable increase in their votes and consequently thinning of Congress candidates majority.
It showed that the UDF candidates were adversely affected in the increase of BJP’s votes. It is also a clear warning to the UDF in the State that the elephant is in the room.
The victory of Suresh Gopi was a great shock to the Congress in the district and a set back of Congress workers as it proved that a section Congress workers themselves tripped upt the heels of Muraleedharan with the quarrel in the DCC and the consequent resignation of the DCC President Jose Vallur and UDF District Convener M P Vincent.
The increase in the votes of BJP candidates in the constituencies where Christian electorate formed a major part showed that the prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with the Leaders of the Church on April 24, 2023 at Kochi over a lap-up dinner had a desired results.
According to the BJP sources, the prime Minister had sought the support of the Church in the meeting and the Church sources said that their meeting with the Prime Minister was cordial.
With this in view, the Home Minister Amit Shash had a meeting with the Catholic Archbishop of Thrissur, Andrews Thazath and President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) at Kochi I June 2023.
Besides, the Union Minister of State, Rajkumar ranjan had held discussions with the Archbishop Andrews Thazath on 08-07-2023 in Thrissur at Bishop’s palace. It is observed that BJP had realized the weakness of the Church that it could not retain opposition to the ruling dispensation permanently .
The policy of the Church was to support the ruling dispensation and it supported British Raj when it ruled India and Mahatma Gandhi and the Indian National Congress were the Anti-Christs for the Church. When the Indian National Congress assumed power , Church wholeheartedly supported the Congress.
