Interview This will be the last election in Kerala where 3 alliances are contesting: BJP’s Rajeev Chandrashekhar.

In your first assembly election from Nemom, which is the only seat won by the BJP in Kerala, you are up against a sitting CPI(M) minister and a former Congress MLA. How confident are you?

Nemom is not the only one in the headlines. In this election, BJP is contesting on more than one seat – this is our declared objective. Since we had won from Nemom earlier, our expectations are high here. Our main operation in Nemom is the same as in the entire state. The public has given a chance to the Left and Congress and all they have got is high unemployment and high inflation. Issues which should have been resolved by a responsible MLA have remained unresolved. In Nemom, 45–50% of people live next to houses with open drains and sewage. About 40% people do not have access to drinking water. In 60% of the constituency, there are no motorable roads. There are issues of electricity and solid waste management. Upon being elected as MLA, we have put forward a comprehensive plan demonstrating ethos and politics of performance. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, despite being new, we got a lead of 22,000 votes in Nemom. I have been working here for two years. I have worked here for two years, built a Sainik School and modernized the Nemom Railway Station – without holding any political post. People look at my track record. I start the campaign saying, “If you elect me, this is what I’ll do.”

As the state chief of the BJP, do you have any projections or targets in terms of vote-share or seats for the BJP?

No, I am not a political pundit, but I have common sense. This is an important election for Kerala, and it is a turning point in many ways. This will be the last election in which three alliances are contesting. After this, there will be only two alliances – the NDA on the one hand, and a formal understanding between the CPI(M) and the Congress, which is happening all over India anyway. For the last 70 years, people have been served a kind of politics where the anti-incumbency wave against the Left benefits the Congress and vice versa. After 10 years of CPM rule, we have the highest inflation and unemployment, lowest investment, zero economic activities and zero progress in agriculture and fishing sectors. Before 2014, people had seen 10 years of Congress rule at the Centre. After 2014, people have seen 12 years of BJP rule at the Center and 10 years of Pinarayi Vijayan. They can compare. Kerala’s old ping-pong politics between two fronts, which provides little or no benefit to the people, is about to break. Before 2014, the BJP was typecast as a communal party and made an untouchable for more than 45% of the state’s population. The narrative was that BJP was an ‘invincible party’, so ‘don’t waste your vote.’ Then our Prime Minister had said ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ and we were able to consciously take away that statement. Now, for 12 years, we have given ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’. Now you cannot call us communal. If there are communal parties today, they are those which do politics in collaboration with Jamaat-e-Islami and SDPI. Our development phase is over, and now it is the political phase where we have to win seats and be able to govern.

You talked about treating all communities equally. But despite having 25 percent Muslim population in the state, this time NDA does not have a single Muslim candidate.

This is the problem with measuring the attitudes of a party or individual through tokenism. This is our own track record, and Muslim leaders will tell you that if they had stood for election today, they would not have won. This is a transition phase. The same was said about Christians ten years ago. Today, we have hundreds of Christian leaders and thousands of Christian votes. Similarly, at this stage, we are building trust with the Muslim community. This is an outreach I started last year. We went to each house and told them that we are not against anyone. If we are speaking against Hamas, Jamaat or SDPI, we are doing it for the good of the state. No liberal Muslim wants Jamaat or SDPI to decide the future of Muslims here. We offered seats, but our Muslim leadership basically said, ‘No point.’

Don’t you think representation still matters even if the chances of victory are slim?

Representation is an ideal endpoint for a party when we earn trust, which is enough for us to field candidates there and make them win. I don’t want to field such candidates there so that they lose and feel embarrassed that they are not able to get the votes of their community. Abdul Salam contested the Malappuram Lok Sabha seat and it was not a pleasant situation. But one thing can be said if I go to every Muslim’s house and say that we are here for you. We launched a Hajj complaints platform. We will eventually build that trust. Today, it is not in the interest of any Muslim to become a victim or hostage of the Congress and the Left. There is no use for them. By spreading fear you keep an entire community away from BJP. Our solution is that if you have any problems, we will be there for you. I am telling everyone clearly and openly. We launched helpdesks in 30 organizational districts and over 128,000 people received our direct support. Many of them were Muslims.

Church leaders have strongly opposed the new amendment bill regarding the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), saying it is ‘dangerous’. Is BJP able to address their concerns?

Congress had made the FCRA amendment bill an issue. He jumped on it just like he did on the issue of attack on nuns in Chhattisgarh. If you beat the drum of fear, people will start feeling afraid. After the news came out, I talked to 80% of the church leaders. I explained what it (the bill) is. This is only to prevent money laundering through the FCRA route. This bill is not just for Christians; Hindus, Muslims and non-religious NGOs all raised funds, and no one said anything. This was a deliberate attempt to create confusion in the minds of Christians. () I explained everything to the church leaders, and 80% of them were in the clear. When there were still some pastors who were not 100% convinced, I suggested to the Home Minister and the Government of India (not to proceed with the bill). When there is any doubt, let’s make sure it is clarified. If there is any doubt, we are not going to pass the bill. Later we will call him to Delhi and explain clause by clause.

Congress and Left parties have attacked the Modi government for not fulfilling key demands of AIIMS and high-speed railway corridor. In contrast, several concessions were announced for Bihar last year.

Are Congress and CPM political advisors to BJP? Narendra Modi does not do drama. He does not make announcements to get a few votes. There was NDA government in Bihar. He announced extended social welfare benefits. We do not have an NDA government in Kerala. Have Vande Bharat trains or Amrit Bharat stations been announced in the budget? Was Vizhinjam port grant announced in the budget? Congress ruled India for 10 years before 2014. He had eight ministers from Kerala. How many budget announcements were made? We are not in the government in Kerala and cannot be held responsible for anything. When the public gives us the mandate, you can ask us. As an MP, you can ask Suresh Gopi whether our MLAs have been elected in this election. If the whole assessment of CPM, which has been ruling here for 10 years, is that BJP should work for Kerala, then why is he (Pinarai) the CM? He should resign saying that he cannot do this. AIIMS will come when NDA government comes. Why? Not because any generosity is being given by the Centre, but because the state also has to invest the same amount of money. They (LDF) do not have resources. When 92.5% of the budget is going to service pensions and debt, you can’t do anything. This is the reality.

In a crowded political arena like Kerala, will the BJP grow at the expense of the Left or the Congress?

This is my prediction: 2026 is going to be the last three-front election. The (CPM-Congress) alliance will become formal, and you cannot hide it. What is now hidden and its cover and undergroundness will become clear. They will have to come into alliance. They are already together in 27 states and eight union territories, including Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Here they will have to do this. This will be a fight between NDA vs Bharat faction.