Ex-Kerala CM Karunakaran's daughter Padmaja to reportedly join BJP. Who is she?
File photo.
Padmaja Venugopal, the daughter of late Congress stalwart and former Kerala chief minister K Karunakaran, will reportedly join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday (Mar 7). The speculations of Venugopal joining the BJP came after she deleted a Facebook post dismissing reports suggesting her switching sides. Venugopal is currently serving as a leader of the Congress.
Initially, in response to the reports circulating about her potential move to the BJP, Padmaja clarified via Facebook that it was merely a joke, a report by the news agency PTI said. However, she later removed this post which intensified speculations about her quitting the Congress and joining the BJP.
Who is Padmaja Venugopal?
Venugopal, 64, is the daughter of late former Kerala CM K Karunakaran. Venugopal is currently the general secretary of the Congress' Kerala unit. She has faced a series of electoral setbacks after she lost in the last two state assembly elections from the Thrissur constituency.
She also lost the Lok Sabha elections in 2004 from the Mukundapuram constituency. According to a report by Onmanorma on Thursday, Venugopal felt sidelined by the Congress leadership which prompted the decision to change sides.
The report said that the 64-year-old's rift with the Congress became apparent when local leaders prevented her from entering Congress national General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi's vehicle during an election campaign rally.
Venugopal's brother cuts ties with her
Addressing a press conference in Kerala's Kozhikode on Thursday, Venugopal's brother K Muraleedharan said he had cut all ties with his sister. Muraleedharan, a Congress Lok Sabha MP, said, "What more positions can the party give to someone who works at home?"
Muraleedharan countered allegations that Venugopal was being sidelined and said he was unable to contact her after the speculations of the 64-year-old quitting the party emerged. He further said that Karunakaran's soul would not forgive her.
(With inputs from agencies)