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Opposing fronts in Kerala are enlisting star campaigners to give their political messaging an added edge as the 2026 Assembly election campaign enters its final sprint, with polling set for April 9.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will play its closing trump card in the electoral contest on Saturday (April 4, 2026) with Prime Minister Narendra Modi arriving to campaign in central and south Kerala.
On his March 11 visit to Kerala, Mr Modi had railed against the Left Democratic Front (LDF)-United Democratic Front (UDF) “turnstile” politics, calling it Kerala’s “bane” and a singular impediment to the State’s development.
The central question swirling around Mr Modi’s Kerala visit is whether the Prime Minister would address the concerns of the Christian community over the proposed Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act Amendment Bill, 2026.
The Church in Kerala had soured on the Central government, terming the Bill a “draconian” attempt to usurp the control of charitable institutions, including hospitals, schools and colleges, run by minorities, threatening the BJP’s protracted bid to court the Christian community ahead of the Assembly polls.
The Church leadership also perceived a move to open the door for bureaucratic control of minority institutions serving the larger public by making even minor infringements a cause for Centre takeover.
Muslim social organisations also shared the Church’s concern over the Bill and had repeatedly accused the Centre of cancelling or failing to renew existing FCRA licences.
Sabarimala gold theft case
A BJP insider said Mr Modi will likely seek to tap into the “voters’ anger” against the LDF over the Sabarimala gold theft case. Notably, Mr Modi will arrive by helicopter at 3 p.m. at Changanassery in Pathanamthitta district, which is widely regarded as the heartland of the Ayyappa faith.
He said Mr Modi would possibly highlight the NDA’s election manifesto promises, chiefly a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the gold theft, “a higher role for devotees in Devaswom administration” and a “Sabarimala Infrastructure Development Mission” to put the temple on the global religious tourism map.
During his campaign tour in March, Mr Modi had also pointedly spotlighted the role of social reformers in Kerala’s development, including Ayyankali, Sree Narayana Guru, Chattambi Swamy, and Mannathu Padmanabhan, in a nod to electorally significant Hindu social groups.
Mr Modi is scheduled to end his election tour with a high-decibel roadshow in Thiruvananthapuram.
Star power
The LDF and the UDF have also farmed out the responsibility of drawing crowds by enlisting social media influencers, actors, singers and celebrities.
Actor Kamal Haasan has endorsed the LDF and will likely campaign for the ruling front in Kannur.
Swaralaya, a socio-cultural organisation allied with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)], is at the forefront of the LDF’s effort to bring the high-wattage dazzle of stardom to the ruling front’s campaign. The organisation has roped in rapper Vedan, Women’s Collective in Cinema activist Reema Kallingal, among other Left-leaning celebrities, to supercharge the LDF campaign.
The UDF had harnessed the celebrity power of its national leadership to boost its campaign in the State. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has toured the State. Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy conducted a roadshow in Thiruvananthapuram and attended the release of the UDF’s election manifesto in Kochi on Thursday.
Congress’ high-profile leaders, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, special invitee to the Congress Working Committee (CWC) Deepender Singh Hooda, MP, and Sachin Pilot, MP, are expected to tour Kerala as the clock winds down to the polling day on April 9.
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