Speculation rife over Padmaja Venugopal’s candidature in Thrissur

Speculation is mounting that Padmaja Venugopal could emerge as the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate in the Thrissur Assembly constituency, even as the party leadership maintains that no final decision has been officially taken.

The buzz intensified after reports emerged that she will reach Thrissur on Thursday to formally launch the party’s Assembly election campaign, a move widely seen as politically significant in a constituency considered winnable by the BJP.

According to an official communication by the BJP, Ms. Venugopal, who is a national council member of the BJP, will inaugurate the campaign by drawing the party symbol, the lotus, near the Amar Jawan Jyothi at Ayyanthole at 10.30 a.m. on Thursday. The symbolic beginning of campaign activities has further strengthened rumours that her candidature is being considered for the Thrissur seat.

Cong. watching closely

BJP district-level leaders, however, have remained cautious. While they have neither confirmed nor dismissed the possibility, they maintain that the final candidate list will be declared only by the national and State leadership. This guarded response has only deepened political curiosity across party camps, with the Congress leadership also closely watching the developments.

The Thrissur seat has a history of tight contests. In the previous Assembly election, Ms. Venugopal who contested as the Congress candidate lost to Communist Party of India’s P. Balachandran by a slender margin of 946 votes. Mr. Balachandran secured 44,263 votes, while Ms. Venugopal polled 43,317 votes. Actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi who was the BJP candidate finished third with 40,457 votes, highlighting the constituency’s triangular electoral dynamics.

After that defeat, Ms. Venugopal had publicly attributed her loss to lack of support from Congress leaders, alleging continued neglect within the party. She later joined the BJP. Despite her active presence in BJP programmes and social media, critics have repeatedly pointed out that she has not yet been given a significant position in the party.

Against this backdrop, political observers believe that fielding her in Thrissur could help the BJP address both perception and strategy. The move is also being viewed as a possible response to persistent rumours that Ms. Venugopal might consider returning to the Congress. By projecting her in a high-profile contest, the BJP could consolidate her position within the party while capitalising on her legacy appeal as the daughter of Congress leader K. Karunakaran.

Ms. Venugopal herself had earlier indicated that if the BJP considered her candidature, Thrissur would be her preferred constituency. There are also indications that the party central leadership is inclined to offer her a prominent role, especially given her proximity to key leaders, including Union Minister Suresh Gopi.

Within BJP circles, there is a belief that contesting on the party ticket could redefine Ms. Venugopal’s electoral trajectory in Thrissur. The leadership appears to be banking on a recalibrated political narrative, combining her personal legacy, recent political shift and the party’s growing organisational presence.

While the BJP draws confidence from its recent success in the Thiruvananthapuram city Corporation, concerns remain over underwhelming performances in other local bodies, including in Thrissur. This makes the Thrissur constituency strategically crucial, both as a prestige battle and as a test of the party’s expanding electoral ambitions in Kerala.

As campaign signals grow stronger but formal announcements remain pending, Thrissur has once again turned into a high-stakes political arena where candidate selection itself is shaping the narrative even before the official election battle begins.