LS polls 2024: Congress' surprise move to field Muraleedharan at Thrissur creates panic in BJP camp

Apart from the fact that Thrissur is his father's home turf, Muraleedharan is known for winning tough contests and is widely considered as a leader acceptable to all sections.

Thiruvananthapuram: The last minute decision of the Congress to field senior leader K Muraleedharan at Thrissur in Kerala seems to have become a cause for concern for the BJP camps which are pinning high hopes of actor-turned politician Suresh Gopi opening account for the saffron party to the Lok Sabha from Kerala.

Muraleedharan, who replaced sitting MP T N Prathapan, received a rousing reception at Thrissur the other day.

It took no time for Murleedharan's posters to replace Prathapan's in the constituency.

Apart from the fact that Thrissur is his father -- former Chief Minister and Union Minister K Karunakaran's -- home turf, the four-time MP and two-time MLA is also know for winning tough contests - Vattiyoorkavu Assembly constituency in Thiruvananthapuram and Vadakara Lok Sabha constituencies in Kozhikode are instances.

While the BJP's hopes at Thrissur is that Suresh Gopi can cash  in on the Hindu and Christian vote banks, Muraleedharan is widely considered as a leader acceptable to all sections. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and 2021 Assembly polls, Suresh Gopi contested as BJP candidate in Thrissur and there was considerable increase of 17 percent and 12 percent in BJP's vote share. 

What prompted the Congress to make the last minute change was Karunakaran's daughter Padmaja Venugopal's (Muraleedharan's sister) decision to join the BJP. Campaign for Prathapan had already begun in Thrissur by then. But since Prathapan was more interested in state politics, he also welcomed the decision and even led the reception for Muraleedharan.

Congress sources said that there was strong resentment among Padmaja's supporters too over her decision to join the BJP. Hence the BJP may not benefit with her entry.

Meanwhile, a video of Suresh Gopi expressing displeasure to party workers for not having adequate participation at a booth level meeting the other day has also caused embarrassment to the saffron party.

With former minister and popular CPI leader V S Sunil Kumar too in the fray as left-front candidate, a strong triangular fight is in the offing at Thrissur.