Buoyed by its performance in the Lok Sabha elections in Kerala, the BJP has decided to rejuvenate the network at the grassroots level ahead of the local body polls and the 2026 assembly polls.

The saffron party is looking to capitalise on the ongoing internal strife of the CPI-M to strengthen its influence in the Left party’s citadels known as party villages. It has formulated an action plan to make inroads into these party villages.

The BJP was able to increase its vote shares in many party villages which also included CM Pinarayi Vijayan’s constituency in the Lok Sabha polls.

Taking into account the people’s concerns and assessing general trends, the party is trying to take advantage of the allegations against CPI-M leaders related to bomb politics, gold smuggling, and quotation gangs. During the Sabarimala issue, the problems within CPI-M and the general mood of the people benefited the Congress.

During the Lok Sabha polls, the anti-incumbency factor and the corruption charges against the CPI-M leaders benefitted the BJP too. In Thiruvananthapuram, Attingal, and Alappuzha, despite being defeated, the party was able to increase its vote share substantially.

CPI-M’s traditional Ezhava vote bank suffered a big crack in the recent Lok Sabha elections. A substantial number of votes polled went in favour of the BJP in Alappuzha and Atingal.

The BJP was also able to maintain and increase its upper caste vote base, including the Nair votes, and was also successful in getting Christian votes.

In many CPI-M strongholds in Malabar like Uduma, Thrikaripur, Payyannur, Dharmadam, and Taliparamba, the party increased its votes by four times more than that they received in the 2019 LS polls. Its vote increased even in party villages which also included CM Pinarayi Vijayan’s Dharmadam constituency.

The BJP was feeble in their election campaign in CPI-M strongholds, but the vote surge has raised many an eyebrow. It has been pointed out that the voters in these CPI-M strongholds were voluntarily voting for the saffron party even in the absence of booth-level campaigning by BJP workers. The reason for this is the dissatisfaction of the rank and file with the CPI-M leadership, and the BJP leadership is making efforts to take advantage of it.

The saffron party has decided to send its senior leaders to the so-called party villages and strengthen its activities in these places. Former BJP state president PK Krishnadas will coordinate these activities in Malabar.

Sources said the BJP would welcome the local leaders of the CPI-M, who are dissatisfied with the functioning of the party, to its fold.

Bolstered by its performance in the recent polls, the BJP will focus on 60 assembly seats where it polled between 35,000 to 75,000 votes in the recent general elections.

BJP President J P Nadda will attend a state-level leaders’ meeting to be held in Thiruvananthapuram on July 9. Around 8,000 party leaders from the panchayat committee president to state committee members will attend the meeting.