Thrissur: Padmaja Venugopal, daughter of late Congress leader and former Kerala Chief Minister K Karunakaran, is reportedly set to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday, after discussions with the party's national leaders in Delhi.
Padmaja, a current General Secretary of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), has reportedly felt sidelined by the party leadership, prompting her decision to switch parties.
The rift with the Congress became apparent after local leaders prevented Padmaja from entering Priyanka Gandhi's vehicle during an election campaign rally. Having contested and been defeated in the last two assembly elections from the Thrissur constituency, as well as the 2004 Lok Sabha election from Mukundapuram, the KPCC General Secretary has faced a series of electoral setbacks within the Congress. It is also reported that Congress is delaying the construction of K Karunakaran's memorial and this too influenced Padmaja's decision to shift to BJP.
Initially, in response to the reports circulating about her potential move to the BJP, Padmaja clarified via Facebook that it was merely a joke.
Padmaja Venugopal is the first woman to hold the charge of Thrissur DCC President. She was a member of the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) Working Committee, the Thazhappaya Employees Union and the Technical Educational Society of India.
K Muraleedharan, a Congress leader and brother of Padmaja, expressed surprise at her decision, stating that he had been unable to contact her after receiving hints of her departure from the Congress party. Muraleedharan noted that Padmaja has blocked him on the phone since Wednesday. If she proceeds with her plan to join the BJP, he believes it will not have a significant impact on the Congress party's strength.
