Kerala Assembly Elections 2026 | Will Congress stalwart K Karunakaran's legacy help BJP at Thrissur

Being a region with considerable Christian votes, the fresh row over Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act amendment could make it tougher for Padmaja Venugopal.

As 65-year old Padmaja Venugopal seeks mandate as BJP candidate at Thrissur in Kerala, the key question doing the rounds is whether former Chief Minister and Congress stalwart K Karunakaran's legacy will help the BJP save its face in its lone and maiden Lok Sabha seat in the state.

Padmaja's entry into the saffron camp just ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls was a major embarrassment to the Congress. The Congress made a clever last minute move of fielding her elder brother K Muraleedharan at Thrissur to ensure that the saffron party did not get any benefit of Karunakanan's legacy.

However, actor-turned politician Suresh Gopi won and Muraleedharan could only finish in third place. Disruption of Thrissur pooram, allegedly as part of a conspiracy, and Christian community's support were considered to have helped Gopi.

Hence a victory of Padmaja in Thrissur this time could help the BJP reaffirm its mass support in the region.

It is Padmaja's third contest in a row in Thrissur assembly seat.Even as she lost to CPI's V S Sunilkumar in 2016 for nearly 7,000 votes, in 2021 she lost to CPI's P Balachandran by just 946 votes. Suresh Gopi finished only in third place in 2021.

Being a region with considerable Christian votes, the fresh row over Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act amendment could make it tougher for Padmaja. She is taking on former Thrissur mayor Rajan Pallan of the Congress and poet Alankode Leelakrishnan, who is the CPI candidate.

Padmaja made her electoral debut in 2004 Lok Sabha polls as Congress candidate at the then Mukundapuram seat which comprised of parts of Thrissur and Ernakulam (Kochi) districts. But she lost by over one lakh votes.

Padmaja is now serving as BJP national council member.