5 facts on Padmaja Venugopal, BJP candidate from Kerala's Thrissur who switched from Congress

Former Congress leader Padmaja Venugopal is contesting again from the Thrissur constituency in the 2026 elections, but this time as a BJP candidate.

Padmaja Venugopal is a prominent political activist in Kerala and a former General Secretary of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), as well as a leader of the Congress Women’s Wing. She is the daughter of former Kerala Chief Minister K. Karunakaran.

Former Congress leader from Kerala Padmaja Venugopal addresses media after joining Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) (PTI)

Following differences with the KPCC leadership and the Thrissur District Congress Committee since 2021, Padmaja Venugopal left the Congress on 7 March 2024 and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). She has been a member of the BJP National Council since March 2025 and is contesting again from the Thrissur constituency in the 2026 Assembly elections as a BJP candidate.

5 Key Facts about Padmaja Venugopal

• Born on 27 October 1960 in Thrissur, to former Kerala Chief Minister K. Karunakaran and Kalyani Kutty Amma, Padmaja Venugopal completed her early education in Kerala and later earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Kerala.
• Padmaja joined the Indian National Congress in 1996 and became active in politics in 2001 when she served as Chairperson of the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation. She first contested the 2004 Lok Sabha elections from the Mukundapuram constituency on a Congress ticket but was defeated.
• She later contested the Thrissur Assembly constituency in both 2016 and 2021 as a Congress candidate. In 2021, she lost by a narrow margin of 946 votes against CPI’s P Balachandran
• She left the Congress party in March 2024 following differences with the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) and the Thrissur District Congress Committee (DCC). She then joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and was elected as a member of its National Council in March 2025.
• The Thrissur constituency is set to witness a closely watched three-way contest in the 2026 Assembly elections, with CPI’s Alankode Leelakrishnan representing the LDF, Congress’ Rajan J. Pallan for the UDF, and Padmaja Venugopal contesting as the BJP candidate for the NDA.