Kerala: Padmaja Venugopal, Congress Leader And Daughter Of Former CM Karunakaran, Joins BJP Ahead Of Lok Sabha Elections

In a significant blow to the Congress party in Kerala ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Padmaja Venugopal, a prominent party leader and daughter of former chief minister K Karunakaran has announced her decision to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday (7 March).

Padmaja's move comes almost a year after Anil Antony, son of former Kerala chief minister A K Antony, also joined the BJP, amid a wave of defections from the Congress to the BJP across several states.

Speaking to reporters, Padmaja cited dissatisfaction with the Congress leadership as the reason behind her decision.

She criticised the party's handling of her complaints and alleged that her concerns were ignored.

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Meanwhile, her brother, K Muraleedharan, who is a Congress MP from Vadakara, publicly disavowed her decision and declared his intention to sever all ties with her.

Also, senior Congress MLA Ramesh Chennithala termed Padmaja's decision as unfortunate but asserted that it would not impact the party's prospects in Kerala.

He emphasised that the people of Kerala would not accept such defections and highlighted the Congress's historical stance against communalism.

Earlier, CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan told the media, “Every day, scores of Congress leaders are joining BJP. Antony’s son joined the BJP. Karunakaran’s daughter is all set to join the BJP. It shows that Congress leaders in Kerala have no hesitation to join the BJP. The Congress has lost credibility in the fight against the BJP.”

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