Padmaja Venugopal Leaves Congress, Joins BJP

In a major political development ahead of Kerala's Assembly elections, National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate Padmaja Venugopal made a bold claim that K Karunakaran, a four-time Congress Chief Minister, would have joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) if he were alive today.

Padmaja, who had previously contested in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections and the subsequent Assembly elections of 2016 and 2024 as a Congress candidate from Thrissur, switched to the BJP in 2024. Her departure from Congress is attributed to interference and lack of support from AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal, as well as her unsuccessful election bids under the Congress banner.

In an interview with ANI, Padmaja dismissed criticisms, including from her brother K Muraleedharan, who accused her of compromising their father's secular legacy. She expressed frustration with Congress, highlighting the support she received from local voters and BJP loyalists. As the Assembly elections loom, Padmaja has filed her nomination, confident in the BJP's growing influence and her connection with Thrissur's electorate.