Despite entering the Assembly elections with high expectations after its emphatic 2024 Lok Sabha victory, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) failed to make any significant impact in Thrissur district. The much touted “Suresh Gopi effect” did not materialise, with the party finishing third in key constituencies where it had claimed strong prospects, including Thrissur, Manalur and Nattika.

Mr. Gopi’s Lok Sabha win in 2024 by a massive margin of 74,840 votes had marked a watershed moment for the BJP in Kerala, raising hopes of a breakthrough in the Assembly polls. The victory had come on the back of a steady rise in the party’s performance — in the 2021 Assembly election, Mr. Gopi himself had secured 40,457 votes in Thrissur, pushing the BJP’s vote share to a record 31.3%, nearly 12% points higher than in 2016.