Padmaja Venugopal: My Father Karunakaran Would Have Joined BJP

Padmaja (66), who had contested unsuccessfully on the Congress ticket in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections and the subsequent Assembly elections of 2016 and 2024 from the state's cultural capital, Thrissur, joined the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) in 2024. The BJP had in the 2024 general elections won the Thrissur seat with actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi as its candidate.

She also attributed her exit from Congress to the interference and lack of support from AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal.

In a recent interview with ANI, Padmaja brushed aside criticism, including her brother K Muraleedharan, who accused her of distorting their father's secular values.

"People of Thrissur--not just Thrissur, the whole of Kerala knows the reason I went to the BJP. They know everything. Kerala people, you know, they are very educated, they know everything. Congress for the last so many years, they created problems for me. I fought with them, and I told them so many times," she said.

Padmaja blamed KC Venugopal for her decision to leave the Congress. While she acknowledged that Sonia Gandhi was "a very nice lady" and had been good to her, she expressed strong dissatisfaction with the current leadership. "After her, Rahul Gandhi and KC Venugopal, I can't adjust with them. So, I went from the party," she said.

The current Alappuzha MP, Venugopal, who recieved support from K Karunakaran during his rise within the Congress and was once a close associate, Padmaja claimed, played a pivotal role in her exit from the Indian National Congress.

"So many problems. I can't say it in one day. His followers are in Thrissur. They are creating problems, and Venugopal will listen to these people only, not me," she added.

Rejecting the Congress party's allegation that she had "betrayed" the party, Padmaja argued that she was denied a fair chance to grow politically despite her father's legacy. She also recalled her family's past association with KC Venugopal, noting that her father had played a key role in his rise. "My father gave him chances... KSU State President, Youth Congress... and even a seat," she said

Now a BJP National Council member, Padmaja expressed confidence in her political future in Thrissur, citing both her personal connection with the people and the party's growing influence. Referring to actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi, whose recent electoral success boosted the BJP in the region, she said, "Mainly my party workers. They are very loyal to me, and they know me. Because I was born and brought up here... So, both...both will be the reason."

Ahead of the upcoming April 9 Assembly Elections, Padmaja had on Saturday filed her nomination in the presence of Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.

The Left Democratic Front (LDF) has fielded poet and cultural figure Alankode Leelakrishnan, while the United Democratic Front (UDF) has fielded Congress leader and former Mayor Rajan Pallan.

The counting of votes is scheduled for May 4. The tenure of the current assembly is scheduled to end on May 23.

- ANI