PM Modi expected to visit Kerala thrice before LS polls

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 6: After receiving a rousing reception during his trip to Thrissur earlier this week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Kerala at least three more times before the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, sources said.

The Thrissur visit on Wednesday appears to have given a huge boost to the morale of the BJP cadres and according to sources, the party which does not even have a single seat in 140-member Kerala Assembly, is now determined to open its account in one or perhaps more than 20 seats in the state.

According to the sources, Modi is expected to visit the state once in January and twice in February during which he is expected to dedicate three new projects, including a new facility at the Cochin Shipyard, a National Highway and one at the Kochi Metro.

In the 2019 general elections, the Kerala BJP-led NDA finished a distant third in 19 seats and came second in just one seat.

In total, it managed a mere 15.64 per cent vote share.

While the Congress-led UDF won 19 seats securing a vote share of 47.48 per cent, the ruling CPI(M)-led Left Front got 36.29 per cent votes and one seat.

At the 2021 state Assembly polls, the BJP's vote share plunged by 2.60 per cent to reach 12.36 per cent compared to the 2016 Assembly polls and lost the only seat as well.