While the BJP’s gains remain modest in numbers, they stand out in a sharply polarised contest that has otherwise delivered a sweeping mandate for the Congress-led UDF. The BJP has scripted a historic breakthrough in Kerala, winning three Assembly seats for the first time even as the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) is set to lose power after two consecutive terms. As the counting progressed, it became clear that the Congress-led UDF will oust Pinarayi Vijayan’s government and return to power after 10 years. BJP’s victories in Nemom, Chathannoor and Kazhakoottam mark a significant expansion of its footprint in a state where it had struggled to gain electoral ground. The only instance when the BJP won a seat in Kerala was in 2016. O Rajagopal had then won the Nemom seat.…