Sachin wrote:Suraj wrote:The communist support base in Kerala is the Hindu OBCs. That they support the CPI/CPM is an anachronism, due to past communist support for their emancipation. They are a ripe demographic whose interests the BJP can safeguard as well or better than the communists, depending on how much effort the BJP is willing to put into it.
Agreed. But BJP I feel should have a Kerala-specific charter for this to be achieved. Some of the stuff which may work in rest of India, may not work in Kerala at all. I also feel that many commies now having pro-BJP thoughts may also be because of the over-pampering of the minorities by the Congress govt. (with the commie leadership keeping a "secular" silence). Antony's statement regarding the pampering also can be read in the same light. Many a neutral commie does have a feeling that secularism is going the wrong way in Kerala. The commie leadership still comes up with their emanicipation (of Hindu lower castes) stories of the 1940s and 1950s to show their relevance. People have started calling their bluff.
That is what I meant by "how much effort the BJP is willing to put into it". They cannot simply say 'vote for Modi' or bring in a cookie cutter UP idea. The Ezhavas etc know that they are hanging on to a party on national life support - the commies - while the UDP keeps enroaching upon their interests and INC is still relevant. Time is ripe for the BJP to step in and actively court them en masse. I would not be surprised if the SNDP, NSS, and even the Orthdox church fox jump into the BJP bandwagon. This combined demographic has enough statewide coverage to consistently outdo the UDP, except in the far north and far south.