NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party is set to make alleged gold irregularities linked to the Sabarimala temple a central issue in its campaign for the April 2026 Kerala Assembly elections, with the leadership expressing confidence that the party could secure at least 20 percent of the vote which will ensure that they emerge as the opposition party in a state where till very recently they were seen as rank outsiders.
BJP national president Nitin Nabin is expected to visit Kerala in March and may lead a march to the Sabarimala temple as part of the mobilisation drive. The proposed programme is being planned as a high-visibility intervention ahead of the formal campaign phase.
On his first visit to the state after becoming the party president, while addressing an Intellectual Meet in Vellayikkara in Kerala on 7 February, Nabin had said the BJP would fight for justice regarding issues related to the dignity of Sabarimala and stressed that preserving cultural heritage and ensuring proper utilisation of resources were essential for strengthening any state.
The controversy relates to alleged discrepancies involving gold associated with temple works, which have triggered protests and political demands for accountability. The BJP is expected to frame the issue as one concerning protection of temple assets and transparency in administration, while questioning existing oversight mechanisms.
In September 2023, a court-appointed special commissioner reported that gold cladding on the Dwapala idols and the Sreekovil, or sanctum sanctorum, had been removed for renovation without prior judicial approval. The inquiry also found discrepancies in the weight of gold-plated items sent for maintenance to a private firm in Chennai in 2019, with materials weighing 42.6 kg reportedly returned at only 38.28 kg. Taking serious note of the findings, the Kerala High Court described the episode as an “organised plunder” and a “heist” of Lord Ayyappa’s gold and directed the formation of a Special Investigation Team to investigate the matter. The Enforcement Directorate subsequently initiated a money laundering probe and conducted searches across multiple locations in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka as part of the investigation.
The Kerala unit of the BJP, headed by Rajeev Chandrasekhar, is coordinating organisational preparations for the proposed march and related outreach programmes across districts ahead of the Assembly elections.
Electorally, the BJP has gradually expanded its footprint in the state over the past decade, though it remains outside the dominant bipolar contest between the Left Democratic Front and the Congress-led United Democratic Front.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha election in Kerala, the BJP secured about 10.3 percent of the vote. In the 2016 Assembly election, it won one seat and polled around 10.5 percent. Its vote share rose to about 12.9 percent in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, though it did not win a seat. In the 2021 Assembly election, the party secured roughly 11.3 percent of the vote without winning a seat. In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the BJP won its first seat in the state and crossed 16 percent vote share statewide.
Party sources said the leadership believes that the current political climate, combined with mobilisation around the Sabarimala issue, could push the vote share to 20 percent or higher in the upcoming Assembly polls. They said such an increase would significantly strengthen the party’s position in the Assembly, even though forming the government remains a distant prospect. Kerala’s population composition remains a key factor in electoral strategy. According to Census data and official estimates, Hindus account for roughly 54 to 55 percent of the state’s population, Muslims around 26 to 27 percent and Christians about 18 to 19 percent. The BJP’s strategy is seen as aimed at consolidating a larger share of Hindu votes, which have historically been divided between the two major fronts.
Party sources said cadre mobilisation has intensified around the temple issue and that organisational efforts are being expanded at the booth level ahead of the Assembly elections.
