- Amit Shah chaired a BJP meeting in Kochi to plan Kerala local polls and 2026 Assembly elections
- BJP aims to win 20 per cent of the local body wards in Kerala, focusing on Thiruvananthapuram and Thrissur
- Mr Shah will visit Tirunelveli to boost booth-level mobilisation in southern Tamil Nadu constituencies
The monsoon session of Parliament wrapped up, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has shifted focus to the southern battlegrounds of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, signalling the BJP's intent to expand its footprint in states where it has long remained a marginal force.
On Thursday evening, Mr Shah landed in Kerala's Kochi to chair a key meeting of the BJP state leaders at the Renai Hotel, Palarivattom.
The gathering, due on Friday morning, brings together senior leaders including Prakash Javadekar and state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar to chalk out strategies for the local body polls in November and the 2026 Assembly elections.
This marks the first of Mr Shah's monthly reviews in Kerala, where the BJP has set itself the ambitious goal of winning around 20 per cent of local body wards, with a particular push in Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur, and several municipalities.
By projecting itself as a clean, development-driven alternative, the party is looking to erode both LDF and UDF vote shares, banking on the recent Lok Sabha momentum and narrow misses in the 2020 civic polls.
From Kerala, Mr Shah will head to Tirunelveli in southern Tamil Nadu on Saturday to oversee booth-level mobilisation across the Kumari Mandalam, which covers five Lok Sabha constituencies including Tenkasi, Virudhunagar, Thoothukudi, and Kanyakumari.
The meeting is particularly significant for state BJP president Nainar Nagendran who is from Tirunelveli.
Mr Shah is also likely to visit Mr Nagendran's home for lunch, in a gesture aimed at rallying cadres and consolidating local support.
The region is crucial for the BJP, which performed relatively better here in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, even finishing second in some constituencies.
The visit also comes on the heels of actor Vijay's high-profile Madurai rally, where he took on both BJP and the DMK, underscoring the churn in Tamil Nadu's political landscape.
Madurai and its surrounding districts form part of southern Tamil Nadu, where the BJP sees potential to grow, especially in constituencies where the AIADMK has weakened and local discontent with the DMK government is rising.
The BJP leadership is hoping that a sustained southern push will allow it to consolidate the Hindu vote in southern Tamil Nadu, a region where it has pockets of influence but little statewide traction.
Mr Shah's meetings will review booth-level preparedness, identify weak areas from the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, and push for early candidate identification to give the party a longer runway for its 2026 campaign.
Party insiders say the Tirunelveli event is designed to energise cadres, particularly in districts where leaders have been pressing for greater organisational backing from Delhi.
"There are around 8,000 booths here. In some constituencies, the BJP is as strong as the AIADMK. The Home Minister's visit is aimed at consolidating that base and sending a message of support from the top," a BJP leader said.
