Draft:Padmaja Venugopal
Indian politician (born 1960)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Padmaja Venugopal (born 27 October 1960) is a prominent politician in Kerala, former KPCC General Secretary, and leader of the Congress Women's Wing. She is the daughter of former Chief Minister of Kerala K. Karunakaran.[1][2] Following differences of opinion that had persisted since 2021 with the KPCC leadership and the Thrissur DCC, Padmaja Venugopal left Congress on 7 March 2024 and joined the BJP.[3][4] She has been serving as a member of the BJP National Council since 24 March 2025.[5]
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- Indian National Congress (1996–2024)
- Bharatiya Janata Party (2024-present)
Padmaja Venugopal | |
|---|---|
 Venugopal in 2021 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 27 October 1960 |
| Party |
|
| Spouse | Dr. Venugopal |
| Children | 1 son, 1 daughter |
| Parent(s) | K. Karunakaran, Kalyanikutty Amma |
| Profession | Politician |
As of 7 March, 2024 | |
Biography
Padmaja Venugopal was born on 27 October 1960 in Thrissur, as the second daughter of K. Karunakaran — a senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister of Kerala — and Kalyanikutty Amma. Her elder brother is K. Muraleedharan, former Member of Parliament and Congress leader in Kerala. After her primary education, she obtained a B.A. degree from the University of Kerala.[6]
Political Career
Padmaja Venugopal became a member of the Indian National Congress in 1996 and became active in politics in 2001 as Chairperson of the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation. In the 2004 Lok Sabha election, she contested for the first time on a Congress ticket from the Mukundapuram constituency but was defeated. She later contested from Thrissur in the 2016 and 2021 Assembly elections but was unsuccessful both times.[7] Following differences of opinion with the KPCC and Thrissur DCC, she left the Congress party in March 2024 and joined the BJP. In March 2025, she was elected as a member of the BJP National Council.[8][9]
Key Positions Held
- 2025 : BJP, National Council Member
- 2024 : KPCC Political Affairs Committee Member
- 2023 : AICC Member
- 2021 : KPCC Executive Committee Member
- 2020 : KPCC Vice President
- 2019-2021 : In charge of Thrissur DCC President
- 2018 : KPCC General Secretary
- 2004 : KPCC Member[10]
Other Positions
Elections
| Year | Constituency | Winning Candidate | Party and Alliance | Defeated Main Candidate | Party and Alliance |
| 2004 | Mukundapuram Lok Sabha constituency | Lonappan Nambadan | CPI(M), LDF | Padmaja Venugopal | Congress (I), UDF |