Padmaja Venugopal, a prominent Kerala politician and former Congress leader, has joined the Bharatiya Janata Party and is contesting from the Thrissur constituency in the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections.
After parting ways with the Indian National Congress in March 2024, she joined the BJP National Council and is now up against CPI's Alankode Leelakrishnan and Congress candidate Rajan J. Pallan in a closely watched three-way contest.
Thrissur has witnessed closely contested elections and shifting political control over the years, with the CPI retaining its hold in 2021 by a narrow margin.
Padmaja Venugopal comes from a prominent political family and has remained an active Congress leader, contesting the Thrissur Assembly constituency in both 2016 and 2021.
