Kochi: The BJP’s new national president Nitin Nabin will land in Kerala on Friday for a decisive two-day visit that is expected to trigger the party’s first major candidate shortlist for the 2026 Assembly elections.

Coming just weeks after assuming the national presidency, Nabin’s maiden visit is being viewed as a strategic audit of the party’s "Mission 2026" following significant gains in the 2025 local body polls. Party sources said that the core of the visit revolves around the finalisation of the “A1 category” seats, a list of around 18 high-priority constituencies where the BJP believes it has a clear path to victory.

“Seats such as Nemom, Kazhakootam, Kayamkulam, Manjeswaram, Kasaragod, Palakkad, and Vattiyoorkavu are likely to be at the centre of discussions during the State Core Committee meeting in Kochi. The strategy is to assign these seats to senior leaders immediately to allow for a focused campaign,” said a senior leader.

The party’s optimism is grounded in data from the recent local body elections, where the BJP secured more than 35,000 votes in several key assembly seats. Nabin’s itinerary is designed to bridge this local momentum with state-level execution.

Upon his arrival at the Kochi airport at noon on Friday, he will transition from a leadership reception to back-to-back organisational sessions, including a critical meeting with state office-bearers at a city hotel to evaluate the current political climate.

In a massive show of grassroots strength, Nabin will travel to the Adlux Convention Centre in Angamaly in the afternoon to address approximately 6,000 booth presidents from the Ernakulam and Alappuzha districts. This session is intended to be a strategic briefing on booth-level management, which the party views as the cornerstone for converting its growing vote share into actual Assembly seats.

Beyond internal organisational matters, the visit will serve as a platform to solidify the expanded NDA. With the entry of Twenty20 into the alliance, Nabin is expected to chair a meeting with allies, including Thushar Vellappally of the BDJS and Sabu M Jacob.

Sources said that the state leadership has proposed a ‘100-40’ seat-sharing formula, where the BJP contests 100 seats and leaves 40 for its partners. “It will be a primary point of negotiation. Senior leaders suggest that the first list of candidates for the priority seats could be finalised immediately following Nabin’s return to Delhi,” sources said.

On Saturday, Nabin will balance political strategy with cultural and economic outreach. After visiting the birthplace of Adi Shankara in Kalady to pay his respects, he will proceed to Thrissur to lead a public discussion on the Union Budget 2026.

This event, featuring prominent figures from various sectors, aims to position the BJP’s developmental agenda as the primary alternative to the state’s current economic trajectory. Moreover, it will be an attempt to defend Nirmala Sitharaman’s budget that failed to allocate anything major to Kerala.

Nabin’s visit will conclude on Saturday evening after a leadership meeting with the Thrissur Assembly constituency, followed by his departure from Kochi airport. For the BJP, this visit is more than a routine tour; it is the official launch of a campaign where the stakes have been raised from merely increasing vote share to winning seats.