From Rajagopal to Kurian, BJP’s Kerala formula faces another test

New Delhi/Kochi June 23 (IANS) With Union Minister George Kurian resigning after the BJP decided not to renew his Rajya Sabha term, attention has shifted to whether Kerala will get a new representative in the PM Narendra Modi-led Union Council of Ministers.

Kurian submitted his resignation on Tuesday after completing his term in the Upper House, and President Droupadi Murmu accepted it.

Sources said Kurian is likely to return to organisational responsibilities, with the BJP leader having expressed his interest in working in Kerala.

However, the party is yet to clarify whether he will be given a role at the national level or in the state. Kurian, a long-time BJP leader who joined the party when it was formed in 1980, was inducted into the third Narendra Modi government in June 2024 as Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, and Minority Affairs.

His entry into the Cabinet had surprised many as he was not then a member of either House of Parliament.

In August 2024, Kurian was nominated to the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh after the seat fell vacant following the resignation of Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, who moved to the Lok Sabha after winning the general election.

With the BJP not extending his Rajya Sabha term, Kurian becomes the fourth BJP leader from Kerala to exit the Union Cabinet without securing a second stint.

The BJP has in the past followed a similar route of bringing Kerala leaders into the Rajya Sabha and inducting them into the Union Cabinet.

Former Union Ministers O. Rajagopal, K. J. Alphons, and V. Muraleedharan had entered Parliament through the Upper House before holding ministerial positions.

Kurian, a lawyer who had practised in the Supreme Court, had served in several organisational roles, including BJP state Vice President, National Executive member, Core Committee member, and party spokesperson.

He had also worked as an Officer on Special Duty when Rajagopal was a Union Minister.

His electoral journey in Kerala, however, remained challenging.

He had contested Assembly elections several times, including from Kanjirappally in the recent state polls, but could not secure a victory.

At present, the lone BJP representative from Kerala in the Union Cabinet is actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi, who scripted a historic victory from the Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency.

Now, all eyes are on whether BJP’s Rajya Sabha nominee from Kerala, C. Sadanandan Master, will be considered for a ministerial berth, or whether Kerala’s representation in the Modi Cabinet will remain limited to one.

–IANS

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