News Brief
Amit Shah (File Photo)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday (22 August) asserted that the BJP would secure a 25 per cent vote share in the upcoming Kerala local body polls, calling it the party’s new beginning in the state, reported The Times Of India.
Speaking at the Manorama News Conclave 2025 in Kochi, he said the BJP had built a strong base in Kerala and earned people’s trust in its ideology.
Citing examples of Tripura and Assam, Shah recalled how the BJP rose from just a 1 per cent vote share to form a full majority govt.
He added, “The youth of Kerala, irrespective of their community, would choose performance and results-based politics. In the coming assembly elections, people will be freed from the compulsion of choosing only between the UDF and LDF.”
Shah compared central allocations, noting that “Between 2004 and 2014, the UPA govt released about Rs 1,342 crore for Kerala. In comparison, the Modi govt provided Rs 5,100 crore for disaster management alone in the last 10 years.”
He criticised Kerala’s development pace, saying high literacy had not prevented high unemployment.
According to Shah, the state governments missed opportunities in IT, semiconductors, and knowledge-based industries due to a development-averse mindset stemming from Leftist ideology.