Lok Sabha elections: Suresh Gopi opens NDA’s account in Kerala with a thumping majority

Actor-turned politician Suresh Gopi wins Thrissur Lok Sabha seat with a huge majority, shaking up Kerala's political landscape.

Giving a historic victory for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Kerala, actor-turned politician and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s candidate Suresh Gopi won Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency with a whopping majority of 74,686 votes.

The 65-year-old action hero of the Malayalam cinema dealt a shocking blow to both the LDF and the UDF by securing a clear majority in six of the seven Assembly constituencies in Thrissur, which were all won by the LDF in the 2021 Assembly elections.

Mr. Gopi, who commanded a considerable lead with 4,12,338 votes, pushed LDF’s popular leader and former Agriculture Minister V.S. Sunil Kumar to the second position. Mr. Sunil Kumar garnered 33,7652 votes. The UDF suffered a major setback as its candidate and former Vadakara MP K. Muraleedharan, who secured 32,8124 votes, was pushed to the third position. Mr. Muraleedharan could lead only in Guruvayur Assembly constituency.

Thrissur in the past had favoured both the LDF and the UDF in the Lok Sabha elections. Since 1952, it has backed the Left front for 10 times while standing with the UDF for 7 times. The most resounding victory in the parliamentary elections was for UDF’s T.N. Prathapan in 2019 who bagged 93,633 votes, securing 39.84% of votes.

Thrissur was one of the key constituencies where the BJP had pinned its hopes on, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi visiting the constituency thrice for campaigning. Additionally, other prominent leaders of the party campaigned here.

The stakes were high for Mr. Gopi this time as he had unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha elections in 2019, when he finished third and garnered 28.19% votes. In the 2021 Assembly elections, when he contested from Thrissur Assembly constituency, he secured 31.3 % votes.

Thanking the people for the resounding victory, Mr. Gopi said, “What was impossible before has become possible. I bow down my head before the true secular voters of Thrissur, who made my victory possible. I would function as the MP of the State.”