Christian votes for whom? Tejasvi Surya vs John Brittas at MBIFL 2026

Do Kerala’s Christian voters show signs of shifting toward the BJP? That question triggered one of the sharpest exchanges at the session titled “Left, Right and Centre: The Paradox of Positions” at MBIFL 2026, where BJP MP Tejasvi Surya and CPI(M) MP John Brittas debated ideology, nationalism, secularism and electoral narratives.

Tejasvi Surya argued that a political opening is emerging among Christian voters in Kerala, linking it to what he described as issue-based engagement and policy positions, including debates around Waqf reforms and minority outreach. He maintained that ground sentiment suggests a gradual change.

“There is a shift happening,” Surya said, suggesting that sections of the Christian community are reassessing their political preferences beyond traditional alignments. He tied this to broader dissatisfaction with state-level governance and what he called the Left’s selective positioning on reform questions.

John Brittas disputed the claim, pushing back with electoral data and recent local body trends. He argued that vote share figures do not indicate a measurable swing toward the BJP and warned against building political narratives ahead of statistical evidence.

“If the percentage has moved from higher to lower (19% to 15%) in local body results, how can you describe that as a surge?” Brittas asked, framing Tejasvi’s claim as perception rather than proof.

The debate also intersected with the Waqf question and minority positioning, with both leaders accusing the other’s ideological camp of inconsistency.