Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday called the BJP’s win in the Thiruvananthapuram corporation elections the beginning of a broader political shift in Kerala.

Addressing a public meeting at the Putharikandam ground, Modi drew parallels with the BJP’s rise in Gujarat, recalling how the party’s victory in the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation elections in 1987 had marked a turning point.

He said the BJP’s recent success in Thiruvananthapuram reflected growing public trust in the party and dissatisfaction with the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF).

Thanking the people of Kerala and Thiruvananthapuram for allowing the BJP to govern the corporation, Modi said the party once struggled for political and media space before its breakthrough in Ahmedabad.

“The BJP’s journey began in one city in Gujarat. Similarly, our innings has started with a single city in Thiruvananthapuram. I believe that this shows that the people of Kerala have started showing their trust in the BJP. This is similar to what we witnessed in Gujarat. The BJP’s victory in the Thiruvananthapuram corporation reveals that the people are looking for change after the misgovernance by the LDF and the UDF,” Modi said.

Modi also paid tribute to social reformers Sree Narayana Guru, Ayyankali and Mannath Padmanabhan. Calling it his good fortune that he could visit the land of Sree Padmanabha Swami, he said Thiruvananthapuram had the potential to emerge as a model city for the country.

“The capital city of Kerala would become a model city in India. I would extend all support to see that it becomes the best city in the country. So far, the people have seen only two factors and now the time has come to change that in Kerala. The third factor is going to be the development factor under the aegis of the BJP,” the Prime Minister said.

Earlier in the day, Modi led a roadshow after landing at Thiruvananthapuram airport. He flagged off three Amrit Bharat Express trains and a passenger train, laid the foundation stone for the CSIR-NIIST Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship Hub, and inaugurated a state-of-the-art radiosurgery centre at the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology.

Governor Rajendra Arlekar, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and senior BJP leaders attended the events. Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor was conspicuous by his absence as he was in Kozhikode attending the Kerala Literature Festival.