Kochi, Aug 22 Union Home Minister Amit Shah is on a day-long visit to the commercial capital of Kerala, Kochi, on Friday to prepare the BJP's state leadership for the upcoming crucial local body elections.
Union Ministers of State Suresh Gopi and George Kurian, Kerala BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, former party state presidents Kummanam Rajasekharan, P.K. Krishnadas, V. Muraleedharan and K. Surendran, besides state office-bearers and district presidents, will attend the state leadership meeting of the party.
Incidentally, this is HM Shah's second visit to the state in two months. During his July visit, he outlined the roadmap for the party's campaign, asking the state unit to secure victories in two key corporations - Thiruvananthapuram and Thrissur - and capture at least 10 municipalities.
Of late, HM Shah has been emphasising the need for coordinated grassroots mobilisation and a stronger presence in local governance, where the BJP has traditionally struggled to make major inroads.
Kerala's local governance structure comprises 23,612 wards spread across Gram Panchayats, Block Panchayats, District Panchayats, Municipalities and Corporations.
In the 2020 elections, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) retained its stronghold, winning 514 of the 941 Gram Panchayats, 108 of 152 Block Panchayats, and taking control of five of the six Corporations.
The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) maintained a significant presence. At the same time, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) secured only a limited number of seats, failing to establish a major base in the state's local bodies.
The Union Home Minister's visit, therefore, is being viewed as a critical attempt to energise the cadre and to prepare the BJP for a stronger performance in the upcoming polls.
As part of this effort, the leadership meeting will be followed by a two-day state-level workshop in Thrissur beginning Saturday, focusing on campaign strategies, candidate selection, and organisational strengthening.
Meanwhile, in view of the Home Minister's visit, traffic restrictions will be in place in Kochi from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday.
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