Kerala Assembly Polls 2026: NDA Manifesto Promises Micro-Minority Status For Christian Community, Pledges AIIMS, And Women Welfare
On the welfare front, it offers a Rs 2,500 monthly 'Food and Health Security Card' for women in underprivileged families to purchase groceries and medicines.
Published : March 31, 2026 at 7:28 PM IST
|Updated : March 31, 2026 at 8:21 PM IST
Thiruvananthapuram: Unveiling its roadmap for the upcoming Kerala Assembly Elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has released a high-profile manifesto centred on the tagline "Viksit Keralam." The manifesto proposes granting Micro-Minority status to the Christian community in the state. This designation, typically reserved for communities with very small populations such as Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Sikhs, aims to ensure specialised rights, enhanced educational and employment opportunities, and targeted welfare schemes through the Minority Commission.
The manifesto, released by BJP chief Nitin Nabin in the presence of BJP State President Rajeev Chandrasekhar and other alliance leaders, also prioritises massive infrastructure and welfare initiatives.
Key promises include the long-awaited establishment of an AIIMS in Kerala, along with the launch of Metro Rail projects in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode.
The alliance has further pledged to complete all phases of the Kochi Metro and develop a high-speed rail network linking Thiruvananthapuram to Kannur. Additionally, Vizhinjam is envisioned as a premier industrial hub featuring a dedicated ship repair cluster and an elevated double rail line.
For the underprivileged, the NDA has announced a ₹2,500 monthly 'Food and Health Security Card' for women to cover essential groceries and medicines. Every household is promised 20,000 litres of free drinking water monthly, alongside two free LPG cylinders annually and a ₹3,000 monthly welfare pension for widows, senior citizens over 70, and female heads of poor families. The party also guarantees Minimum Support Price (MSP) for all necessary crops and an 'Employment Linked Incentive Scheme' providing low-interest loans for job creation.
The document further outlines city-specific development hubs, branding Thiruvananthapuram as the IT capital, Kochi for shipbuilding, and Kozhikode for healthcare innovation. Significant commitments were also made regarding the reorganization of Devaswom Boards to increase devotee participation, a time-bound CBI probe into alleged gold theft at Sabarimala, and a cooperative solution for the Mullaperiyar issue focused on "Water for Tamil Nadu and Safety for Kerala." Additionally, the manifesto promises optional English-medium education in all government schools within the next five years.
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