Beyond Thiruvananthapuram success: What numbers reveal about BJP’s performance in Kerala local body polls
Outside Thiruvananthapuram and two municipalities, the BJP struggled to translate its ward wins into electoral success in local bodies.
BJP members celebrate during the counting of votes for the Kerala local body elections, in Thiruvananthapuram, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (PTI Photo) 
Despite its significant maiden victory in the Thiruvananthapuram municipal corporation, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has very little else to cheer in the results of the Kerala local body elections 2025.
As per Election Commission data, the NDA won 1,919 wards in 2025, a nominal increase from 1,597 in 2020. Also, the NDA gained a majority in 26 village panchayats, up from 19 in 2020. This was despite the BJP fielding the most candidates (19,262) in the elections, while the Congress had only 17,497 and the CPI (M) 14,802.
Outside the Thiruvananthapuram corporation and the two municipalities (Tripunithura and Palakkad), the NDA was unable to translate the increase in the number of wards into electoral success in local bodies. This was largely due to the BJP’s victories being spread across various areas where the party has influence, rather than concentrated enough to secure overall wins.
In the NDA fold, out of the 1,919 wards where the coalition tasted success, nearly all the seats were won by the BJP. Its major ally, Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), secured only five wards, four of which are in panchayats.
Of the 93 corporation wards the BJP won, 50 came from Thiruvananthapuram alone. The BJP could not lead in any of the 346 district panchayat wards, which is another striking feature of the poll outcome.
Cause for concern ahead of Assembly polls
Unlike village or municipal wards, district panchayat wards are larger ones, where political voting is dominant. The BJP’s dull show in district panchayat wards will cast a shadow over its prospects in the upcoming Assembly elections next year, except in the Thiruvananthapuram urban area.
Although the BJP won 324 municipal wards, it did not secure a clear majority in any such urban body. In Tripunithura municipality, the BJP emerged as the single largest party with 21 wards, while the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) finished just behind with 20.
In Palakkad municipality, the BJP continued its success story, winning only 25 of the 53 wards, down from 28 in the outgoing council. The absence of a clear majority shows strong anti-incumbency against the party that has been in power at the municipality for the last decade.
Within the UDF, the Congress won 7,816 wards across Kerala, while the CPI(M) is closely behind with 7,454 wards. Among the junior partners in the fronts, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) of the UDF remains formidable, winning 2,844 wards, while the CPI has only 1,018.
Kerala local body polls in a nutshell
The 2025 Kerala local body elections were held in two phases on December 9 and 11, with the vote count on December 13.
The UDF gained control of four out of six corporations: Kochi, Kollam, Thrissur, and Kannur, and dominated the municipalities and grama panchayats.
The ruling LDF, which held five corporations in 2020, was reduced to just one, Kozhikode. It also ceded the Thiruvananthapuram municipal corporation to the NDA, after 45 years in power.
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