Christian victors in Indian state elections include actor-turned-politician

Analysts said Christian voters remain electorally important where they are regionally concentrated, organised or embedded in coalition politics, notably in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

The actor Chandrasekharan Joseph Vijay made a dramatic entry into electoral politics with an impressive win at the legislative elections in Tamil Nadu as four states and a union territory went to the polls last month.

In the other states, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) won power in Kerala, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) retained power in Assam and claimed the so-far elusive West Bengal, while their National Democratic Alliance retained Puducherry, a union territory.

Vijay, a Christian, was sworn in as chief minister of Tamil Nadu on 10 May following his fledgling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party’s spectacular victory at the hustings. TVK won the highest number of seats, 108 of the 234 seats on offer. It was remarkable achievement for the party that came into being just two years ago in February 2024.

In the process, TVK ousted the Dravidian parties – the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) – who ruled the state for the last 60 years. However, TVK fell short of the 118 seats required for majority and had to form an alliance with Congress, which won five seats, and some regional parties to make up the numbers.

Born to parents working in cinema – his father S.A. Chandrasekharan is a director, and mother Shobha a singer – Vijay also had a successful film career with several hits. The 51-year-old contested two seats, Perambur and Trichy East, and won both.

Tamil Nadu also produced at least one prominent Christian woman winner, the billionaire Leema Rose Martin, who fought on an AIADMK ticket and won the Lalgudi constituency.

Christian voters remain electorally important where they are regionally concentrated, organised or embedded in coalition politics. The veteran commentator and rights activist John Dayal said Christian political weight was real in Kerala and visible in Tamil Nadu, but minimal elsewhere.

He said Kerala is the clearest case of Christian electoral weight. The UDF returned to power with 102 seats, while the LDF fell to 35 and the BJP won three seats, its best assembly performance in the state. Altogether, 16 Christians won the elections in the state, concentrated mainly in the UDF.

Kerala elections also saw a Muslim-majority constituency, Thavanur in Malappuram district, electing a Christian, V.S. Joy, the Hindu-majority constituency Kalamaserry electing a Muslim, V.E. Abdul Ghafoor, and Christian-majority constituency Kochi electing a Muslim, Muhammed Shiyas.  

Narinder Modi’s BJP won a major opposition stronghold in West Bengal. They swept the polls with a tally of 207 seats, while the reigning Trinamool Congress (TMC) fell to 80, and the Congress and Left were reduced to one seat each.

TMC chief Mamta Banerjee, who ruled the state for the last 15 years, blamed her party’s defeat on the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls which led to the deletion of nine million names.

She and other opposition parties alleged SIR was conducted to delete names of Muslim voters. However, experts maintained the victors won by margins too large for this to be a factor.

Assam bucked the anti-incumbency tide as BJP retained power and the NDA alliance in Puducherry enjoyed similar fate.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) congratulated all election winners and urged the new governments to govern with transparency, prioritise inclusive policies and to respect and uphold the Constitution.

The Archbishop of Hyderabad Cardinal Anthony Poola, CBCI president, said: “The true measure of a vibrant democracy lies not just in the successful conduct of elections, but in the steadfast commitment of elected leaders to serve the most vulnerable.”

He called on governments to “work hand-in-hand with all institutions to build a more just, inclusive, and equitable India” and prayed that elected representatives be guided by “wisdom, justice and deep compassion” in their public service.

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