PM reaches out to southern State where BJP scored zero in LS polls
Though the BJP did not win a single seat, let alone storming Kerala like it did in several other States across the country in the recently held Lok Sabha polls, yet Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday at Guruvayur that the southern State was as dear to him as his constituency Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.
Firmly in saddle at the centre for the successive second-term with a thumping majority, Modi said he visited Kerala despite having no MP from the State since it was as dear to him as his constituency Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.
Kerala bucked the national trend with BJP drawing a duck and Congress which had otherwise scored zero seats in as many as 17 States bagging 15 of the State's 20 Lok Sabha seats. Congress-led United Democratic Front allies won another four seats, the Indian Union Muslim League with two and the Kerala Congress (Mani group) and Revolutionary Socialist Party with one seat each.
There was only marginal increase in the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance's vote share which stood at 15.5% in 2019,an increase from the 14.9% that it polled in the 2016 Assembly elections. NDA's vote share in the 2014 Lok Sabha election was 10.8%.
Barring Kummanam Rajasekharan all BJP candidates finished third. Rajasekharan finished second to Shashi Tharoor of the Congress ( won with a margin of 99,989 votes) in Thiruvananthapuram.
Modi sought to bring the emotional link the people of his home state Gujarat have with the places of significance with Lord Krishna including Dwarka, Guruvayur and Udupi.
"I have got a chance to come to this land of Guruvayur once again. This is a source of inspiration," he said in his speech made soon after offering prayers at famous Lord Krishna temple.
Prime Minister said political parties and pundits failed to gauge the public mood ahead of the Lok Sabha election.
Describing the just-concluded Lok Sabha election a "festival of democracy," Modi lauded and thanked the electorate of Kerala for their contribution to it.
The country has seen that "people are God" in elections, he said at the 'Abhinandan Sabha' organised by the BJP's Kerala unit.
"Political parties and political pundits could not gauge people's mood. So did those involved in conducting (poll) surveys. But people gave a strong mandate to the BJP," he said and thanked the voters for choosing his party.
The recent polls proved that people rejected "negativity" and accepted positivity, he said.
"The 2019 Lok Sabha elections marked a victory for positivity and a resounding rejection of negativity. With this spirit, let us all work together to build a new India," Modi said.
Prime Minister's outreach to people of Kerala is significant in the backdrop of Congress President Rahul Gandhi's renewed attack on him while holding his thanks-giving road-show in his Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency in the state from where he won with a margin of over three lakh while loosing his home constituency Amethi in UP with 60,000 votes.
"Modi might have money. He might have media by his side... He might have rich friends with him but the Congress party will continue to fight against the intolerance created by the BJP," Rahul had said on Friday .
Modi said some would have even wondered why he chose the southern State despite the BJP "not opening its account" from here in parliament.
"I come to Kerala with a deep sense of gratitude to the people," the Prime Minster said, adding "Yes, our party did not win a seat here but I will serve the state with great vigour and deepen the bond with its wonderful citizens."
Modi chose to wear traditional Kerala dress during his first visit to the State after assuming the charge as Prime Minister for a second consecutive term. He said an elected leader is common to all.
"Elections have their place in democracy and it is the responsibility of the winner to take care of the 130 crore people. Those who made us win or those who did not, both are our (people)", he said.
On the Nipah virus issue, he said the Centre was working "shoulder-to-shoulder" with the Kerala Government to provide all required assistance.
He also said the Government has decided to run a vaccination drive across the country for animals to eliminate ailments like the foot and mouth disease.