Congress leader Karunakaran's daughter Padmaja joins BJP

Thiruvananthapuram: Former Kerala Chief Minister and Congress top leader K Karunakaran's daughter Padmaja Venugopal joined the BJP.

Padmaja, who received BJP membership from BJP Kerala prabhari Prakash Javadekar in Delhi on Thursday, told reporters that neglect from Congress leadership and attraction towards Narendra Modi's leadership made her join BJP.

She said that she was even denied appointment by Congress high command and her father had also faced such neglect from the Congress party.

Congress is already facing much embarrassment over many leaders joining BJP. Senior leader A K Antony's son Anil Antony  who joined BJP last year, is now contesting as BJP candidate at Pathanamthitta in Kerala. Karunakaran, who died in 2010 is still popularly known as 'leader' in Kerala. He served as Chief Minister for four terms and also as union minister.

Kerala PCC president K Sudhakaran and Padmaja's elder brother K Muraleedharan, who is Congress MP from Vadakara in Kozhikode, reacted  that Padmaja ditched the Congress even as she was given due considerations.

Muraleedharan also ridiculed that Padmaja was on a work from home mode in the Congress and added that BJP would not benefit from her. He also said that he would not have any relationship with her hereafter.

Padmaja, who is a member of Congress Political Affairs Committee in Kerala, contested twice in Assembly polls and once in Lok Sabha polls, but got defeated in all. 

Padmaja alleged that a section in the Congress worked for her defeat in 2021 assembly polls in Thrissur. Even as she complained to party leadership in this regard there was no action, she said. 

Sources said that Padmaja was expecting a Rajya Sabha seat, which was not considered by the Congress. She was also unhappy that work of Karunakaran foundation building in Thiruvananthapuram was getting delayed

While BJP state president K Surendran said that more Congress leaders were in talks with BJP,  CPM has stepped up the campaign  that Congress and BJP were two sides of the same coin only as many Congress leaders are joining BJP. 

CPM state secretary M V Govindan said that many Congress leaders in Kerala would be joining BJP in the due course and that could  be the reason why Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently expressed hopes that BJP will win double digit number of seats in Kerala this time. 

Padmaja was based at Thrissur and hence her decision to join the BJP could be a boost to BJP's hopes of winning the Thrissur Lok Sabha seat where actor-turned politician Suresh Gopi is in the fray.