Faith revival and issue framing in Kerala’s 2019 campaign

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Abstract
This study offers an overview of Kerala's party-system development, media landscape and campaign dynamics against the backdrop of the 2019 parliamentary election. The 2019 election was widely predicted to be a golden opportunity for the BJP to secure its first parliamentary seat from Kerala, with the highly emotive and polarizing ‘women’s entry into Sabarimala temple’ becoming the most salient campaign issue. The study situates this key campaign issue and its mobilisational potential in Kerala’s party-system and hybrid media environment. Drawing from pre-election field research, it argues that the BJP’s framing of the Sabarimala verdict, its use of religiously-coded campaign messaging, and its ability to adapt the form and style of campaign communication for the digital era enabled a sizable consolidation of the Hindu vote behind the BJP, moderately threatening the stability of Kerala’s entrenched bi-polar party system. Yet, the Sabarimala issue did not deliver the anticipated electoral results for the BJP due to Kerala’s unique political context. The residual effect of the Sabarimala issue in the 2021 legislative assembly election is discussed in conclusion.

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