Last-minute nominal announcements by the Central and Kerala governments targeted rubber farmers and the vote bank they represent.
Rubber
The global market for natural rubber sees a significant surge in prices ever since February, ending the years-long slump in demand at least temporarily. With this, in the backdrop of general elections, the BJP at the Centre and CPI(M) in Kerala have started efforts to win back the lost confidence of largely-Christian rubber cultivators in the central Kerala region.