Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday urged BJP cadres in Kerala to strategically focus on securing victory at the polling booths in the traditionally Opposition-dominated state that has remained out of saffron bounds.

The plea reveals a sense of urgency as the party aims to break ground in Kerala, which has eluded the saffron influence so far.

On the second day of his second visit to the state within a fortnight, Modi engaged with BJP polling booth-level workers. He urged them to ensure that Sri Ram Jyoti (earthen lamps in honour of the Ram temple) illuminates every household.

Modi is learnt to be desperate to open the BJP’s account in Kerala and win at least one seat in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The BJP so far has not won any Lok Sabha seat from here. “Ab chunav darwaze par dastak de rahe hain. Ab Kerala, Dilli vijay ka netritva karne ki taqat wala ban gaya hai (Now, elections are knocking at the door. Kerala has now become powerful in leading the victory in Delhi),” Modi told the party workers.

“We will talk about winning the Lok Sabha polls but...our first resolve should be to win our (polling) booths,” Modi added, asking the cadres to ensure that the party doesn’t face a setback in the polling booths assigned to them. “If we win the booths then we can win Kerala too.”

Modi referred to the upcoming consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya and sought to connect the Left-dominated state with Hindutva. “The consecration will take place in Ayodhya, but on the evening of January 22, Sri Ram Jyoti will be lit in every home of the country,” he said, asking workers to undertake a cleanliness drive in temples.

“Kerala is a state that devotes a full month to the Ramayan. Here Ramayan maasam is observed. Therefore, Sri Ram Jyoti with all devotion should be lit here in every home,” he said.

Modi instructed party members to compile a list of beneficiaries or “labharthis” from the central government schemes in their respective polling booths and regularly engage with them. “Your first priority should be to have the names of all beneficiaries.... You should know them by their names and meet them regularly,” he said.

“Baar, baar miliye (meet them repeatedly),” he stressed, betraying a sense of desperation to ensure that people who have benefitted from his government’s welfare schemes vote for the BJP. “Every worker should be tasked with a set of voters. They should know that it is their responsibility to keep in regular touch with them,” Modi said, asking the cadres to use social media platforms and the Narendra Modi App to connect with the voters.

“Meet the hawkers, who have benefitted from the government’s loan scheme, meet people, who have got common service centres under the government’s Digital India push...,” he said.

He also attended the wedding of the daughter of BJP leader and actor Suresh Gopi. Suresh Gopi is set to be the BJP candidate, and Modi is learnt to be pushing for his victory. Modi has been leading a similar push in the other southern states too with an eye on the general elections.