Political parties and pundits failed to gauge the public mood ahead of the Lok Sabha election that saw the BJP and its allies score a huge victory over opposition parties, PM Modi said in Kerala on Saturday, adding that though the state had not voted for his party, it was as "dear" to him as his constituency Varanasi. "Many people must be wondering why Modi has come to Kerala to give a speech after BJP didn't even open its account in Kerala in the recently-held Lok Sabha election... But I don't differentiate between my countrymen... For me, the people of Kerala are just as much my own, as the people of Varanasi," he said.