Even BJP fears saffron now, removes it from posters ahead of panchayat polls

Thiruvananthapuram: In Kerala, the usual fanfare of BJP posters has taken on an almost muted quality. Where saffron once dominated campaign materials with an almost aggressive insistence, the colour has now been quietly set aside. State president Rajeev Chandrasekhar is understood to have instructed the IT cell to remove it, reasoning that in the delicate months before the panchayat elections, ostentatious displays risk alienating minority communities. The saffron that once signalled unwavering ideological commitment has, for now, been tamed, a tactical concession rather than an admission of any shift in conviction.

Over the past several weeks, posters and banners, whether for door -to -door outreach or local gatherings, have been reworked into a palette of multiple hues. The decision is not merely cosmetic. Words like “saffronisation” or phrases invoking “saffron terror” have a certain sting, capable of stirring anxiety among minority voters, and the leadership appears intent on avoiding even the slightest provocation. It is a subtle dance,more about perception than policy.

The backdrop for this manoeuvre is far from abstract. Recent events in Chhattisgarh, where targeted attacks on nuns drew condemnation from across civil society and religious communities, have made the leadership acutely aware of the risks of unchecked rhetoric. Figures like B Gopalakrishnan and T P Senkumar are said to have made comments that, while forceful within party ranks, might rebound politically if amplified outside. In such a climate, a restrained visual strategy seems, at least temporarily, prudent.

Yet the move has not gone down entirely smoothly within the state unit. Some party officials question Chandrasekhar’s decision, suggesting that internal debate was short -circuited in favour of media optics. There is a whisper, hardly surprising in politics, that the party risks performing more for the lens than for the voters themselves. Posters in multiple colours may prevent immediate offence, but whether they can cultivate long-term engagement with communities remains uncertain.

It is a fascinating tension, almost theatrical in its subtlety. The saffron may have receded from public view, but it lingers, both as an emblem of ideological identity and as a reminder of the tightrope that political parties walk in diverse regions like Kerala. In this instance, pragmatism temporarily outweighs bravado, leaving observers to wonder whether such adjustments signal a strategic pause or merely a fleeting attempt to sidestep controversy.