On July 12, 2025, Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) new state committee office, Mararji Bhavan, in Thiruvananthapuram, marking the launch of the party’s campaign for Kerala’s upcoming local body polls and the 2026 assembly elections.

Shah, welcomed by BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, hoisted the party flag, planted a sapling, cut a ribbon, and lit a traditional lamp to open the office. He also paid tributes to a bronze bust of former BJP state president K G Marar in the building’s central hall.

Arriving late Friday night, Shah toured the state-of-the-art facility, briefed on its features by party leaders. At 11:30 am, he addressed a massive ward-level leadership meet at Putharikandam Maidan, drawing 36,000 grassroots leaders from Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, and Alappuzha, with 1.5 lakh others joining online from 10 other districts. A closed-door state leadership meeting followed at 2:00 pm to strategize for the local polls, focusing on state government failures in health and education.

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Shah’s visit, a strategic push to bolster BJP’s presence in Kerala, concluded with a 4:30 pm visit to the Rajarajeshwara Temple in Taliparamba, Kannur, before his return to Delhi. A three-day drone ban was enforced around Kannur airport for security. Chandrasekhar emphasized the event as the formal start of BJP’s campaign, aiming to capitalize on public discontent with the ruling Left Democratic Front.

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