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Bharatiya Janata Party – Kerala

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Bharatiya Janata Party – Kerala
ഭാരതീയ ജനതാ പാർട്ടി – കേരളം
AbbreviationBJP
PresidentRajeev Chandrasekhar[1]
Founder
Founded6 April 1980
(45 years ago) (1980-04-06)
Split fromJanata Party
Preceded by
HeadquartersThiruvananthapuram, Kerala - 695014
Labour wingBharatiya Mazdoor Sangh[3]
Peasant's wingBharatiya Kisan Sangh[4]
Colours  Saffron
Alliance
Seats in Lok Sabha
1 / 20
Seats in Rajya Sabha
0 / 9
Seats in Kerala Legislative Assembly
0 / 140
Election symbol
Lotus
Party flag
Website
www.keralabjp.org

Overview

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The Bharatiya Janata Party – Kerala (BJP Kerala), also known as BJP Keralam (ബിജെപി കേരളം), is the Kerala state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a major national political party in India. While BJP has held significant power at the national level, its influence in Kerala has historically been limited, given the dominance of the United Democratic Front (UDF) and Left Democratic Front (LDF). Despite this, the party has steadily built a base in urban pockets, among youth, and through active participation in socio-political movements. Though historically a minor player in Kerala's electoral politics, BJP made its first breakthrough in 2016 by winning the Nemom assembly constituency. A key milestone was reached in 2024, when Suresh Gopi became the first BJP MP elected to the Lok Sabha from Kerala.

The party is headquartered in Thiruvananthapuram and is currently led by Rajeev Chandrasekhar.[1]

The party currently holds 1 seat in the Lok Sabha but 0 seats in the Rajya Sabha from the state, while it does not have any seats in the Kerala Legislative Assembly.

The party won its first ever MLA from Kerala in 2016 when party veteran O. Rajagopal defeated V. Sivankutty of the CPI(M) in Nemom.[5] However, the party lost the Nemom seat in the 2021 election by a narrow margin.[6] The party won its first-ever Lok Sabha MP from the state in 2024 when actor-turned politician Suresh Gopi defeated V. S. Sunil Kumar of the CPI(M) in Thrissur by a margin of 74,686 votes, marking a significant event for the party in Kerala that has historically been dominated by the Communist-led LDF and Congress-led UDF.[7][8]

History

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The BJP's roots in Kerala trace back to the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, established in 1951. After the formation of BJP in 1980, the Kerala unit was officially organized, aiming to expand the party's ideology in a state dominated by the Congress and Left parties.

Key milestones

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  • 1980s–90s: Limited electoral success; groundwork through the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) network.
  • 1991: First notable impact in the Assembly elections.
  • 2004–2014: Emergence in urban areas like Thiruvananthapuram and Palakkad.
  • 2016: Historic breakthrough with O. Rajagopal winning the Nemom Assembly seat—the first BJP MLA in Kerala.
  • 2021: BJP Kerala Lost Nemom and failed to win any Assembly seats, but gained vote share in several constituencies.
  • 2024: Suresh Gopi, a popular Malayalam actor and Rajya Sabha MP, wins the Thrissur Lok Sabha seat, marking BJP's first-ever victory in Lok Sabha election from Kerala.This victory was seen as a symbolic and strategic breakthrough for the party in Kerala.
  • 2025: Rajeev Chandrasekhar appointed as the new State President on 24 March 2025[9]

Organizational Structure

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The following is the current organizational structure of the Bharatiya Janata Party – Kerala as of July 2025:

BJP Kerala Organizational Structure (2025)

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Position Name
State President Rajeev Chandrasekhar
General Secretaries
Vice Presidents
  • K. S. Radhakrishnan
  • C. Sadanandan
  • P. Sudheer
  • C. Krishnakumar
  • B. Gopalakrishnan
  • Dr. Abdul Salam
  • R. Sreelekha (Retd. IPS)
  • K. Soman
  • K. K. Aneesh Kumar
  • Shaun George
State Secretaries
  • Ashokan Kulanada
  • K. Ranjith
  • Renu Suresh
  • V. V. Rajesh
  • Pandalam Prathapan
  • Jiji Joseph
  • M. V. Gopakumar
  • Poonthura Sreekumar
  • P. Shyamraj
  • M. P. Anjana Ranjith
Treasurer E. Krishnadas
State Spokesperson T. P. Jayachandran
Social Media Convener Abhijith R. Nair
Media Convener Sandeep Somanath
State Cell Coordinator V. K. Sajeevan
Zonal Presidents
  • K. Sreekanth
  • V. Unnikrishnan
  • A. Nagesh
  • N. Hari
  • B. B. Gopakumar

List of State Presidents - BJP Kerala

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No[10] Portrait Name Term of Office
1 O. Rajagopal 1980 1985
2 K. G. Marar 1985 1990
3 K. Raman Pillai 1990 1994
(2) K. G. Marar 1994 1995
4

K. V. Sreedharan Master 1995 1998
5 C. K. Padmanabhan 1998 2003
6 P. S. Sreedharan Pillai 2003 2006
7 P. K. Krishna Das 2006 2009
8 V. Muraleedharan 2009 2015
9 Kummanam Rajasekharan 2015 2018
(6) P. S. Sreedharan Pillai 2018 2019
10[11] K. Surendran 2 February 2020 23 March 2025
11[1] Rajeev Chandrasekhar 24 March 2025 Incumbent

Electoral Performance : Lok Sabha Elections

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Over the years, the Bharatiya Janatha Party (BJP) has worked to expand its presence in Kerala's political landscape, particularly through its participation in Lok Sabha elections. Although the party won its first parliamentary seat in 2024, it has made notable inroads in several constituencies reflecting a gradual increase in public support. The table below outlines BJP's performance in various Lok Sabha elections in Kerala, highlighting its vote share, seats won, and outcome.

Year Seats won Voteshare (%) +/- (%) Outcome
Janata Party
1980
0 / 20
 6.7% New Others
1984[a]
1 / 20
 2.1% Decrease4.6% Others
Bharatiya Janata Party
1984[b]
0 / 20
 1.8% New Others
1989
0 / 20
 4.5% Increase2.7% Opposition
1991
0 / 20
 4.6% Increase0.1% Opposition
1996
0 / 20
 5.6% Increase1% Opposition
1998
0 / 20
 8% Increase2.4% Government
1999
0 / 20
 6.6% Decrease1.4% Government
2004
0 / 20
 10.4% Increase3.8% Opposition
2009
0 / 20
 6.3% Decrease4.1% Opposition
2014
0 / 20
 10.5% Increase4.2% Government
2019
0 / 20
 13% Increase2.5% Government
2024
1 / 20
 16.8% Increase3.8% Government

Elected Members to Lok Sabha

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S.No. Constituency Name Portrait Name Year Vote Received Vote % Vote Margin Position Held Remarks
01. Thrissur Suresh Gopi[12] 2024 412,338 37.80 74,686
  • MoS Petroleum & Natural Gas
  • MoS Tourism
 First elected BJP MP from Kerala

Electoral Performance : Kerala Legislative Assembly Elections

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The Bharatiya Janatha Party (BJP) has steadily expanded its efforts in Kerala's state politics, contesting Assembly elections with the goal of emerging as a signinficant political force. Despite the dominance of the CPI(M)-led LDF and the Congress-led UDF, the BJP marked a historic breakthrough in the 2016 Kerala Legislative Assembly Elections, when O. Rajagopal won from Nemom constituency, becoming the first BJP MLA in the state's history. While the party was unable to retain the seat in the 2021 elections, its growing vote share in key constituencies reflects an evolving support base and continued political relevance within Kerala's complex electoral landscape.

Year Seats won Voteshare (%) +/- (%) Outcome
Janata Party
1980
5 / 140
 7.6% New Opposition
1982[c]
4 / 140
 4% Decrease3.6% Others
1987[d]
7 / 140
 3.8% Decrease0.2% Government
Bharatiya Janata Party
1982[e]
0 / 140
 2.8% New Others
1987[f]
0 / 140
 5.6% Increase2.8% Others
1991
0 / 140
 4.8% Decrease0.8% Others
1996
0 / 140
 5.5% Increase0.7% Others
2001
0 / 140
 5% Decrease0.5% Others
2006
0 / 140
 4.7% Decrease0.3% Others
2011
0 / 140
 6% Increase1.3% Others
2016
1 / 140
 10.6% Increase4.6% Opposition
2021
0 / 140
 11.4% Increase0.8% Others

Elected Members to Kerala Legislative Assembly

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S.No. Constituency Name Portrait Name Year Vote Received Vote % Vote Margin Position Held Remarks
01. Nemom O. Rajagopal [13] 2016 67,813 47.46 8,671 Opposition MLA First ever BJP MLA in Kerala's history

Electoral Performance : Local Body Elections

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Kerala Local Body Elections

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2015 Kerala local elections
Local self-government body Local Bodies won Total
LDF UDF NDA Others
Gram Panchayats 549 365 14 13 941
Block Panchayats 90 61 0 1 152
District Panchayats 7 7 0 0 14
Municipalities 44 41 1 0 87
Corporations 4 2 0 0 6


Municipal Corporation Elections

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Year Municipal Corporation Seats won Change in seats Government
Kannur district
2015 Kannur Municipal Corporation
0 / 55
 Steady None
2020
1 / 55
 Increase1 Opposition
Ernakulam district
2015 Kochi Municipal Corporation
2 / 74
 Opposition
2020
5 / 74
 Increase3
Kollam district
2015 Kollam Municipal Corporation
2 / 55
 Opposition
2020
6 / 55
 Increase4
Kozhikode district
2015 Kozhikode Municipal Corporation
7 / 75
 Opposition
2020
7 / 75
 Steady
Thrissur district
2015 Thrissur Municipal Corporation
6 / 55
 Opposition
2020
6 / 55
 Steady
Thiruvananthapuram district
2015 Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation
35 / 100
 Opposition
2020
35 / 100
 Steady



See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Janata Party and Bharatiya Janata Party both fought the 1984 elections in Kerala as separate parties. JP was part of the UDF alliance whereas BJP fought as a Third Front.
  2. ^ Janata Party and Bharatiya Janata Party both fought the 1984 elections in Kerala as separate parties. JP was part of the UDF alliance whereas BJP fought as a Third Front.
  3. ^ Janata Party and Bharatiya Janata Party both fought the 1982 assembly elections in Kerala as separate parties.
  4. ^ Janata Party and Bharatiya Janata Party both fought the 1987 assembly elections in Kerala as separate parties. JP was part of the LDF alliance whereas BJP fought as a Third Front.
  5. ^ Janata Party and Bharatiya Janata Party both fought the 1982 assembly elections in Kerala as separate parties
  6. ^ Janata Party and Bharatiya Janata Party both fought the 1987 assembly elections in Kerala as separate parties. JP was part of the LDF alliance whereas BJP fought as a Third Front.

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Rajeev Chandrasekhar takes over as Kerala BJP president, invokes 20th century social reformer". Moneycontrol. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
  2. ^ "What you need to know about India's BJP". AlJazeera. 23 May 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  3. ^ Pragya Singh (15 January 2008). "Need to Know BJP-led BMS is biggest labour union in India". live mint. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  4. ^ Gupta, Sejuta Das (2019e). Class, Politics, and Agricultural Policies in Post-liberalisation India. Cambridge University Press. pp. 172–173. ISBN 978-1-108-41628-3.
  5. ^ "BJP's O Rajagopal wins from Nemom, gives BJP its first seat in Kerala assembly". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  6. ^ "Kerala Assembly Election Results 2021: Why BJP failed to retain its only seat in the state". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  7. ^ "BJP's Lok Sabha debut in Kerala: Suresh Gopi wins in Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency by 74,686 votes". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  8. ^ "BJP gains ground amid erosion of Left votes in Kerala". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  9. ^ "Rajeev Chandrasekhar set to be Kerala BJP chief: Why party chose the former Union Minister". Indian Express/. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
  10. ^ "List of former presidents of BJP Kerala". Kerala BJP. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
  11. ^ "BJP Appoints K Surendran As Kerala Unit President". NDTV. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
  12. ^ "BJP opens account in Kerala as Suresh Gopi wins in Thrissur". The Hindu. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  13. ^ "O Rajagopal helps BJP register maiden win in Kerala". India Today. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
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