Thrissur, Nov 7 Union Minister and actor-politician Suresh Gopi, who scripted history in 2024 by wresting the Thrissur Lok Sabha seat for the BJP, faces another high-stakes test -- the upcoming local body elections.
The Union Minister of State, who stunned both the CPI and Congress in his third electoral attempt, is now tasked with leading the BJP’s charge to capture the 56-member Thrissur Corporation.
Gopi’s political journey has been marked by persistence. After two failed bids -- the 2019 Lok Sabha and 2021 Assembly polls, both from Thrissur -- he broke through dramatically last year.
His victory over CPI stalwart and former Minister V.S. Sunil Kumar not only gave the BJP its first-ever Lok Sabha seat in Kerala but also dealt a blow to the Congress, whose candidate K. Muraleedharan, then sitting MP (from Vadagara), was pushed to third place.
Eighteen months later, Gopi’s challenge is to replicate that success at the grassroots. The task is formidable.
In the 2020 civic polls, the Congress-led UDF and the CPI(M)-led LDF were evenly matched, winning 24 seats each in the Corporation.
The BJP-led NDA lagged far behind with just six, while one seat went to an Independent.
Party insiders admit that translating Gopi’s Lok Sabha momentum into civic success will be an uphill climb, but they see in him the charisma and visibility that could shift ground realities.
Despite his ministerial responsibilities in Delhi, Gopi has been frequently spotted in Thrissur, engaging with local communities and mobilising cadres in preparation for the polls.
Thrissur is home to the powerful Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, whose top bishops early this week called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the news is that the BJP is mulling over fielding around 10 Christians.
As the state government readies to announce election dates, all eyes are on whether Suresh Gopi can pull off another political coup.
For the BJP, a victory in Thrissur Corporation would not just be symbolic -- it would mark a significant advance in Kerala’s urban political landscape.
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