Thiruvananthapuram: Munambam village, the place the Bharatiya Janata Social gathering (BJP) was struggling to discover a candidate not way back, emerged as one of many social gathering’s essential victories within the lately concluded Kerala native physique polls. However, the social gathering’s win, which got here on the heels of a protest that lasted over 400 days, over disputed land, has left the village divided. 

The Munambam Kadappuram ward in Pallippuram panchayat elected BJP’s Kunjimon Augustine with 582 votes. Augustine defeated Rocky Binoy of Communist Social gathering of India (Marxist) by a margin of 31 votes. Congress candidate Dani Kottaparambil received fewer than 400 votes.

Initially projecting the protest as a political problem, the BJP projected it as a nationwide problem, incessantly citing the stir to justify the Waqf (Modification) Act, 2025. However, the laws, earlier hailed as an answer to the Munambam row, didn’t yield any consequence.

The protest ended 30 November, after the Kerala Excessive Courtroom issued an interim order reinstating the income rights of the residents. Nevertheless, a splinter group suspected to be related to the BJP continues to protest exterior Velankanni Matha Church, in search of a everlasting answer.

When Waqf claimed the land of 600+ Hindu and Christian households who’ve lived there for generations, they had been left to battle alone. As a result of Congress & Left stayed silent for vote-bank appeasement. It was solely BJP who stood with the folks of Munambam and fought until the tip.… pic.twitter.com/rsZrH0pBA5

— BJP KERALAM (@BJP4Keralam) December 13, 2025

Joseph Benny, convener of the protest, advised ThePrint that the BJP’s victory in Munambam was a present of gratitude for making the native problem a nationwide one, though the social gathering didn’t resolve the issue. 

“The BJP was the primary social gathering to assist us. The modification didn’t change something. However even now, the central authorities can act. We gave them the ward members. There may be one other election coming quickly. If they’ll’t do something, this is not going to repeat,” he mentioned.

If BJP had been to resolve the difficulty, he mentioned, your entire Christian neighborhood would vote for the social gathering. The state authorities started intervening solely after stress from Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC) and the Church, the Munambam resident added. “CPI(M) got here second due to that. If neither of them does something, we’ll vote for the Congress.”

The BJP, in line with a senior social gathering chief, gained solely restricted native assist, which mirrored within the victory. This additionally underlined that the social gathering was nonetheless a great distance from an endorsement from the Church. “The BJP candidate is in a tussle with the native church. The monks are in opposition to the social gathering,” the BJP chief mentioned.

In the meantime, Kerala BJP normal secretary Anoop Antony Joseph known as his social gathering’s win in Munambam as “historic”.

“Modi ji’s govt and BJP stood with the Munambam folks in preventing the Waqf, they usually have now chosen BJP as their mandate,” Anoop wrote on X when the ballot outcomes had been introduced 13 December.

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A divided village

Positioned 37 km from Kochi, the land dispute within the coastal village dates again many years. The land in competition was initially leased by the Maharaja of Travancore to Abdul Sattar Sait, a Gujarati dealer who settled in Kochi. In 1950, Sait’s descendants transferred the land to Farook Faculty underneath a Wakf deed. The tussle between Munambam residents and the school started within the Seventies over possession, although it was quickly resolved.

Nevertheless, Father Antony Tharayil, a priest on the church, advised ThePrint that the difficulty gained wider consideration after the Church intervened. “The CPI(M) received its folks, however many consider Congress votes went to the BJP. There’s a blended feeling amongst folks. We consider votes had been break up among the many three events.”

The priest mentioned the Church by no means endorsed any political social gathering and had tried to resolve the difficulty a lot earlier, by making representations to the Kerala authorities and the excessive court docket. “The social gathering (BJP) did work to win the polls and garnered assist from the folks. We’re additionally attending to be taught that they put different efforts too, like settling money owed of some folks and giving cash. There are lots of drinkers right here, some might need additionally supported them as they had been getting alcohol each day. The social gathering grew right here like that too.”

A clip of my handle at Munambam in Kerala. Justice can be given the the struggling Fishermen households. pic.twitter.com/jfFHokKlTF

— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) April 16, 2025

“Earlier, we thought the modification would clear up the difficulty. However nothing occurred. We anticipated an announcement when (Union Minority Affairs Minister) Kiren Rijiju visited (in April). Now it seems like they forgot. Individuals then realised solely the Kerala authorities may act,” he added.

The priest added that BJP took benefit of the difficulty, deeply dividing the parish. “I consider this protest was a failure. No matter we achieved, folks are actually divided politically. We’ve got seen many elections, however it was by no means like this. It’s a small village the place everybody is aware of one another. However within the final couple of months, folks haven’t even been speaking to one another or sitting collectively throughout Sunday Mass. It’s disheartening,” he mentioned.

(Edited by Tony Rai)

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