Industry-Run Twenty-20 Joins NDA Ahead Of PM Modi’s Kerala Tour

Twenty-20, a political party promoted by the Kitex Group of Industries, has decided to join the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Kerala. The announcement comes a day ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Thiruvananthapuram on Friday.

The formal induction of Twenty-20 into the NDA will take place in the presence of Prime Minister Modi during his visit to the state on Friday

Founded in 2015, Twenty-20 has so far maintained an equidistant stance from Kerala’s bi-polar political formations—the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF). The party has a presence in certain pockets of Ernakulam district and parts of central Kerala.

Twenty-20 made significant gains in the 2020 local body elections, winning control of four panchayats by defeating candidates of both the LDF and the UDF. However, in the most recent local body elections, the party’s tally came down to two panchayats.

Party leaders have alleged that the CPI(M) and the Congress worked in tandem by covertly supporting independent candidates in several areas to defeat Twenty-20 candidates.

The announcement was made by Twenty-20 leader and Kitex Group Managing Director Sabu M. George and BJP Kerala state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar at a joint press conference.

“I have taken this decision after serious deliberation,” Sabu George said. “I have realised that by standing alone, no meaningful change can be brought about in Kerala. To realise the dream of a developed Kerala, it is important to come together. Aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision, we will strive to promote development-oriented politics in the state.”

Welcoming the move, Rajeev Chandrasekhar described Sabu George as a job creator and a strong advocate of development-led politics. “This coming together heralds a new turn in Kerala politics,” he said.

After the local body elections, Sabu George had indicated that Twenty-20 was open to alliances and had announced plans to contest up to 50 Assembly seats in the state. In the 2021 Assembly elections, the party contested eight constituencies and secured around 15 per cent of the vote share in Ernakulam district.

In several pockets of Ernakulam district—particularly panchayats such as Kunnathunadu and Kizhakkambalam—political contests over the past decade have largely been framed as Twenty-20 versus the traditional political fronts.

Sabu George has been a vocal critic of the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front government, accusing it of pursuing policies hostile to investment. He had earlier triggered controversy by shifting a Kitex garment manufacturing unit to Telangana, citing what he described as the Kerala government’s lackadaisical approach towards industry and investors.

The BJP has been attempting to woo Twenty-20 for some time now. Through what its opponents describe as an “apolitical” approach, Twenty-20 sought to shape the political imagination of a sizeable section of voters by pursuing welfare-oriented governance in the panchayats it controls. Much of the party’s influence is concentrated in pockets where Christian communities wield significant political influence.

For the BJP, which has long struggled to make an electoral breakthrough in Kerala, outreach to Christian voters has been a key strategic objective. An alliance with Twenty-20 could potentially help the BJP access sections of the Christian vote base in central Kerala.

In the last local body elections, the Congress swept Ernakulam district. If the newly forged alliance succeeds in transferring even a portion of the Christian vote, it could pose serious challenges to the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in select Assembly constituencies, particularly in central Kerala.