Thiruvananthapuram: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday thanked the people of Thiruvananthapuram for the BJP’s victory in the city corporation, ending more than four decades of Left rule, and said the result signalled a broader political shift in Kerala ahead of the Assembly elections.

Addressing a large party-organised rally here, Modi drew parallels with the BJP’s early rise in Gujarat, recalling that the party’s journey to power there began with winning control of a single city nearly four decades ago.

He said that before 1987, the BJP was a marginal force in Gujarat and received little public attention. “In 1987, for the first time, the BJP won the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. From that one city, the people of Gujarat gradually placed their trust in us, giving us the opportunity to serve for decades,” he said.

Modi added that a similar beginning was now visible in Kerala. “Just as our journey in Gujarat started with one city, in Kerala too, our beginning has come through Thiruvananthapuram. This shows that the people of Kerala are starting to connect with and trust the BJP,” he said.

The Prime Minister described the Thiruvananthapuram civic body victory as a mandate against what he termed the corrupt rule of both the LDF and the UDF. He alleged that successive governments led by the Left and the Congress had neglected the capital city, denying it basic infrastructure and facilities.

“For decades, the Left and the Congress failed to address the needs of the people. Our BJP team has already begun working towards a developed Thiruvananthapuram,” Modi said. “To the people of the city, I say have faith. The long-awaited change is finally on its way.”

He said Thiruvananthapuram would be developed as a model city for the country and assured full support from the Centre to make it one of the best cities in India. Modi was speaking at the Putharikandam Maidan before a massive crowd.

The Prime Minister arrived in Kerala to inaugurate several development projects and flag off new train services in the poll-bound state.