CPM is Keralam's dominant Hindu outfit: BJP leader on why his party struggles in state

Senior BJP leader in Keralam, KS Radhakrishnan, said the CPM's longstanding influence among Hindus, coupled with the Congress' support among Muslims and Christians, has left the BJP with limited political space in the state.Senior KS Radhakrishnan, state vice-president of BJP in Keralam, speaking at India Today Conclave South. New Delhi,Sep 30, 2026 13:15 ISTA senior BJP Keralam leader, KS Radhakrishnan, on Wednesday argued that the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has historically functioned as the dominant Hindu political force in Keralam and that this has been a key reason for the BJP's inability to make significant political inroads in the state.Speaking at India Today Conclave South in Kochi, Radhakrishnan, the state vice-president of the BJP, rejected the widely held view that Keralam's politics is shaped by a distinctive tradition of liberal-left secularism. He argued it was a false narrative created by a set of writers, intellectuals, politicians and activists and was "absolutely nonsensical and beyond the reach of facts".Radhakrishnan traced the roots of the Communist movement's political success in Keralam to the social and political developments preceding the formation of the first communist government in 1957."In 1957, we got a government and the Communist Party could get 60 seats and they could form the first government. It has been celebrated as the victory of communism and left ideology," he said. However, he argued that the electoral success of the communists should not be viewed solely through the prism of the popularity of communist or left ideology. According to Radhakrishnan, the political developments in Malabar following the 1921 rebellion led by Mappila Muslims played an important role in creating a space for the Communist movement among Hindus."The Malabar was highly afflicted by the 1921 rebellion by the Muslims that ended in the Hindu genocide. The Congress, led by KP Kesava Menon, was not able to extend help to the victims. It was the communal organisations that helped the victims and it to mistrust between Hindus in Malabar and the Congress," he argued. "They were alienated from Congress and in that gap, in 1925, the Communist Party came to lead them," Radhakrishnan said.He also linked the Communist Party's victory to the Sabarimala arson case in 1950, claiming that the electoral achievement was an after-effect of the incident and that EMS Namboodiripad, the first Chief Minister of Keralam, had given an assurance that if he came to power, he would do whatever possible in the matter.Further arguing, Radhakrishnan, said the social composition and leadership of the early Communist movement in Keralam also contradicted the portrayal of the party as purely a secular-left political force."It was a Hindu political outfit. That Hindu political outfit has been presented as a secular one. It is absolutely nonsensical," he said at the India Today Conclave South.He pointed to EMS Namboodiripad's leadership, as well as the involvement of figures associated with prominent Hindu community organisations."It was led by EMS Namboodiripad. MN Govindan Nair was the NSS secretary and disciple of Mannath Padmanabhan and there was a group of SNDP leaders like R Sugathan, TK Ramakrishnan, P Gangadharan and others," he said.According to Radhakrishnan, the organisational structure of the Communist party reflected the participation of leaders from different Hindu communities."The organisation was led by a Namboodiri, the secretary was a Nair and other office-bearers were from other Hindu communal organisations," he observed.The Randhakrishnan further claimed that EMS's political messaging explicitly sought the support of backward Hindu communities."Every public speech of EMS ends with a statement, 'therefore, all backward classes shall vote for them'," Radhakrishnan added.WHY BJP HAS STRUGGLED IN KERALAMThough the BJP has made gains in vote share and organisational strength, it has struggled to translate them into Assembly victories. Its electoral breakthrough came in 2016, when O Rajagopal became the party's first MLA in Kerala. Nearly a decade later, the BJP made its strongest Assembly showing yet, winning three of the state's 140 seats in the latest election.Radhakrishnan said the BJP's limited electoral growth in Keralam could be understood in the context of the Communist Party's longstanding influence among the state's Hindu population."My answer is that since there is a powerful Hindu outfit and that caters to the needs of the dominant Hindu community, then naturally another political outfit has to fight against them to get the vote base," he said.He argued that the BJP was therefore not entering a political vacuum when it sought to build a support base among Hindus in Keralam. Instead, it was attempting to establish itself in a political space that had already been occupied by the Communist movement.Radhakrishnan also said the BJP's inability to secure substantial support from Muslims and Christians was a factor. "They adopted Congress as their natural political outfit. We are not getting votes from these groups. It is a fact," he said.Despite the BJP's current limitations in the state, Radhakrishnan expressed confidence that the party would eventually become a dominant political force in Keralam. He attributed the possibility of such a political shift to changes in the mindset of voters.- Ends