The NDA’s landslide victory in the Bihar Assembly elections has given the BJP renewed confidence as Kerala heads into local body polls in December, with party leaders asserting that the result could shift long-held perceptions among minority communities in the state.

Former Goa Governor P.S. Sreedharan Pillai on Saturday said the verdict may prompt “a change” in how the BJP is viewed in Kerala, particularly by minorities.

Pillai, a former Kerala BJP state president, said on Saturday, “... In Kerala, minority communities have a wrong impression (of the BJP), which may change now... The BJP will win... PM Modi is not really a politician; he is a statesman-leader... He (Rahul Gandhi) himself has proved that he is not upto the expectations.”

BJP workers celebrate across Kerala

BJP workers celebrated the NDA’s win on Friday at the state headquarters and district offices, distributing sweets and bursting crackers.

BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar handed out sweets at the Thiruvananthapuram office and said the party should aim for a similar victory in Kerala’s upcoming local body elections. In a Facebook post, he congratulated the people of Bihar, saying voters had once again backed the “politics of performance” under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and rejected the “jungle raj” of the Congress and RJD.

“Now it is Kerala's turn,” he wrote.

Leaders say minority perception in Kerala could shift

BJP leaders reiterated that the Bihar outcome could influence political attitudes in Kerala. Former Union minister V Muraleedharan said women voters in Bihar had shown strong trust in the BJP and the NDA, reflecting continued support for Prime Minister Modi.

Former state president K Surendran said the Bihar verdict showed people rejecting a “corrupt” dispensation. He added that the Congress-led bloc relied on the caste card but failed. “Even in Muslim pockets, the RJD-Congress alliance was dismantled. It was a clean victory for the NDA,” he said, calling it a message for Kerala, where minorities have significant influence.

He also said Rahul Gandhi and the Congress were becoming a burden for the INDI bloc. “By keeping Congress and Rahul Gandhi at the front, the INDI alliance cannot move forward. Other UDF allies in Kerala should also think about the state of the Congress,” he said.

Congress faces criticism; Left largely silent

BJP social media handles posted trolls targeting the Congress and Rahul Gandhi over the Bihar defeat.

CPM and other Left parties remained mostly silent, though Education Minister V Sivankutty posted a meme suggesting the shrinking influence of the Congress. “A lesson from Bihar. What the Congress is doing to secular fronts in Indian politics,” he wrote.