Speculation is rife that Padmaja Venugopal might emerge as the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate in the Thrissur Assembly constituency, though the party leadership says no final decision has been officially taken.
The buzz intensified after reports surfaced that she would arrive in Thrissur on Thursday to formally launch the party’s assembly election campaign, a move widely seen as politically significant in a constituency that the BJP considers winnable.
According to an official BJP release, Ms. Venugopal, who is a member of the BJP national council, will launch the campaign by drawing the party’s symbol, a lotus, near the Amar Jawan Jyothi in Ayyanthole at 10:30 am on Thursday. The symbolic start of campaign activities further fueled rumors that she is being considered for the Thrissur seat.
Cong. watch closely
However, BJP leaders at the district level remained cautious. While they have neither confirmed nor denied this possibility, they say that only the national and state leadership will announce the final list of candidates. This guarded response has only heightened political curiosity across party camps, with the Congress leadership also watching the development closely.
The Thrissur seat has a history of close contests. In the previous Assembly elections, Ms. Venugopal, who contested as a Congress candidate, lost to P. Balachandran of the Communist Party of India by a slim margin of 946 votes. Mr. Balachandran got 44,263 votes while Ms. Venugopal got 43,317 votes. Actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi, who was the BJP candidate, finished third with 40,457 votes, highlighting the triangular electoral dynamics of the constituency.
Following this defeat, Ms. Venugopal publicly attributed her loss to a lack of support from Congress leaders and alleged continued neglect in the party. She later joined the BJP. Despite her active presence in BJP programs and on social media, critics have repeatedly pointed out that she has yet to gain a prominent position in the party.
In this context, political observers believe that her placement in Thrissur could help the BJP address both perception and strategy. The move is also seen as a possible response to persistent rumors that Ms. Venugopal may consider returning to the Congress. By projecting her into the prestigious contest, the BJP could have consolidated its position in the party while capitalizing on her legacy as the daughter of Congress leader K. Karunakaran.
Ms. Venugopal herself had earlier hinted that if the BJP considered her candidature, Thrissur would be her preferred constituency. There are also indications that the party’s central leadership is inclined to offer her a prominent role, especially given her proximity to key leaders, including Union minister Suresh Gopi.
There is a belief in BJP circles that contesting the party ticket could redefine Ms. Venugopal’s electoral trajectory in Thrissur. The leadership appears to be banking on a reset political narrative that combines her personal legacy, recent policy shift and the party’s growing organizational presence.
While the BJP is drawing confidence from its recent success in the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation, concerns remain over its underwhelming performance in other local bodies, including Thrissur. This makes the Thrissur constituency strategically crucial, both as a battle for prestige and as a test of the party’s expanding electoral ambitions in Kerala.
With campaign signals picking up but formal announcements remaining pending, Thrissur has once again turned into a high-stakes political arena where the very selection of candidates shapes the narrative even before the official election battle begins.
Published – 25 Feb 2026 20:33 IST
