By inducting actor-politician Suresh Gopi and long-time BJP functionary George Kurian as Union Ministers in the Narendra Modi 3.0 Cabinet, the BJP appears to be strategising to alter the bipolar algorithm for the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections.
Despite initial uncertainties, Mr. Gopi, who made history by becoming the BJP’s first MP to the Lok Sabha from the State, took oath as a Union Minister of State on Sunday.
The 66-year-old actor-politician was a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha from 2016 to 2022. He unsuccessfully contested on the BJP ticket from the Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency in 2019 elections and the Assembly segment in the 2021 polls.
Mr. Gopi, belonging to the forward Nair community, completed his schooling at Infant Jesus Anglo-Indian School at Tangasseri and pursued higher studies at Fatima Mata National College, Kollam, securing a BSc in Zoology and an MA in English Language and Literature.
Mr. Gopi has acted in over 250 films mainly in Malayalam and across various south Indian languages. In 1998, he won both the National Film Award for Best Actor and the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor for his performance in Kaliyattam. He is at currently president of Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, Kolkata. He is married to Radhika Nair, granddaughter of the late actress Aranmula Ponnamma.
However, the surprise choice in the Modi ministry is Mr. Kurian, who is neither a member of the Lok Sabha nor the Rajya Sabha. The 63-year-old’s induction into the Cabinet may signal the BJP’s attempts to fortify its presence in Kerala by engaging with the Christian community. He belongs to the Syrian Catholic denomination.
A staunch member of the party since its inception, Mr. Kurian is one of the State general secretaries. He has previously vice chairman of the National Commission for Minorities, served on the BJP national executive committee, and held the position of national vice-president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha. He also had a stint as the district president of the Kottayam unit.
Mr. Kurian contested the 2016 Assembly elections from Puthuppally, a Congress stronghold. The party had also nominated him to Kottayam and Idukki Lok Sabha constituencies earlier.
A lawyer with a degree in Hindi, Mr. Kurian served as an Officer on Special Duty for former Union Minister of State for Railways and veteran BJP leader O. Rajagopal during A.B. Vajpayee’s tenure as Prime Minister. He is married to O.T. Annamma, who retired as a Lt. Colonel from the Naval Base in Kochi.
Published - June 10, 2024 05:22 am IST
