Thiruvananthapuram/Kollam, May 4 (IANS) In a breakthrough moment for the BJP in Kerala, the party has secured three Assembly seats, capping its best-ever performance in the state till now with a dramatic, last-round victory in Kazhakootam.

Former Union Minister, V. Muraleedharan, edged past two-time CPI(M) Legislator Kadakampally Surendran by a razor thin margin of just 265 votes, sealing a nail biting contest that went down to the final round of counting.

Muraleedharan’s win completes a significant electoral trifecta for the BJP, following earlier victories by Rajeev Chandrasekhar in Nemom and B.B. Gopakumar in Chathanoor.

Together, the three results mark an unprecedented expansion of the party’s footprint in a state long dominated by the LDF and UDF fronts.

The Kazhakootam contest, closely watched throughout the day, saw multiple lead changes before Muraleedharan surged ahead in the closing stages.

The slender margin underscores both the intensity of the battle and the BJP’s growing competitiveness in urban constituencies within the state capital district.

In Nemom, Chandrasekhar’s victory carried symbolic weight, helping the BJP reclaim the constituency it first won in 2016 through veteran leader O. Rajagopal.

The seat had slipped away in 2021 to CPI(M)’s V. Sivankutty, making this a significant recovery.

Meanwhile, Gopakumar’s win in Chathanoor marked the party’s opening account in this election cycle, breaking a pattern of near misses where the BJP had often finished second.

His victory over CPI candidate R. Rajendran demonstrated the party’s ability to convert vote share into seats in select pockets.

Party leaders described the combined results as ‘historic’, pointing to the difficulty of gaining ground in Kerala’s entrenched political landscape.

Political observers note that while the BJP’s overall tally remains modest, the triple strike signals a shift in momentum, with the party increasingly able to challenge established players in key constituencies.

With wins in Nemom, Chathanoor, and now Kazhakootam, the BJP has moved beyond symbolic presence to a more tangible electoral footing in Kerala, potentially reshaping its prospects in future Assembly contests.

--IANS

sg/rad