BJP’s Kerala story missing its lead actor: Where is Suresh Gopi?
There are 13 assembly constituencies in Thrissur district, of which seven—Guruvayur, Manalur, Alluring, Thrissur, Puthukkad, Kaiparamba and Nattika—fall under Gopi’s parliamentary segment.
Since the polls were announced in mid-March, the 67-year-old Minister of State for Tourism & Petroleum and Natural Gas has been a scarce sighting, making just four appearances, including when he was seen waving to crowds at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s roadshow in the city Sunday.
“That euphoria which was seen during the Lok Sabha elections is no longer there,” said one BJP functionary in Nattika, requesting anonymity. “He is a film star and not a politician. Each time he comes to an assembly constituency (in Thrissur), it’s been for about a maximum of three hours and then he leaves.”
The person adds that the local unit is focusing on the individual strengths of the candidates as well as showcasing the development works under the Modi government to seek votes.
Most people in the district still identify Gopi as a celebrity, and not a typical politician. And to be fair, Gopi has made no bones about where his true passion lies.
Barely two months after he was inducted into the Modi-led government, with many believing some other candidates were overlooked for him, Gopi made it public he wanted to continue doing films, and that he even contemplated stepping down.
“So, if they remove me for it (acting in films), I would consider myself saved. That is all I can say,” he told reporters at the time.
‘Thrissurnu Orru Kendra Mantri’ that loosely translates to ‘one Union minister from Thrissur’ was the BJP’s primary poll slogan during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Gopi’s victory was seen as a watershed moment for the BJP in Kerala, breaking into the state’s largely binary political landscape, occupied by the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF).
But things on the ground in Thrissur have changed since 2024 even though it is still considered a two-way fight between BJP and UDF in the city limits in the upcoming assembly polls.
In the assembly polls, the BJP is banking on Padmaja Venugopal—a former Congress leader and the daughter of four-time Congress chief minister K.Karunakaran—to try and break the pattern of UDF and LDF’s taking turns in victories registered in Thrissur district.
The UDF has fielded Rajan. J. Pallan, the former Thrissur Mayor. The LDF has fielded Alankode Leelakrishnan.
Also Read:‘Absent’, ‘rude’—a year on, Suresh Gopi’s star win fades in Thrissur amid voter trust deficit
‘Actor, and not politician’
Gopi’s reputation as an actor and film star far outweigh his credentials as a politician or leader, townspeople say.
“When people go to Gopi for any work, he rejects them outright since he does not know how a politician behaves,” said Vijaykumar, a retailer.
His blunt reactions to constituents approaching him or his frequent outbursts against the media has added to perception that he is “inaccessible”, they add.
ThePrint reached out to Gopi through calls and messages but there was no response. The report will be updated if and when a response is received.
In a public meeting in September last year, Gopi was seen dismissing an elderly man who sought his help in some work. The month before, the Kerala Students’ Union (KSU) leader even filed a missing persons complaint, claiming the minister has remained away from the constituency for months.
Last week, in Kozhikode, the MoS for Petroleum and Natural Gas refused to respond to media questions on LPG, petrol prices and other issues. “Oil prices, if you want to know, come to my ministry…not on the streets,” he told reporters.
Naushad, a small-scale fish trader, says that this kind of attitude has not helped Gopi.
But, Nigil, a 40-year-old pharma sales executive, says that Gopi is often misunderstood. “Actually, he is an actor, and not a politician. Many people misunderstand his words. Maybe he is afraid of the media,” he says.
The claimed miscommunication has not been the only problem. The worsening LPG crisis triggered by the West Asia conflict hasn’t helped the MoS for Petroleum and Natural Gas either.
“He became petroleum minister and gas (LPG) shortage happened. Petrol prices are also set to rise. That’s how he will be seen,” the trader said.
Workers at the fishmarket point to a two-storied, four-room building adjacent to the Thrissur fishmarket and opposite the beef stalls, when asked about Gopi’s contributions to the city.
“The bottom portion is the toilet which we use. But the two offices on top remain closed to this day. Only the toilet has been useful. We are not sure why he decided to spend money and cover up the rainwater harvesting pool in the fishmarket,” Naushad laughs.
Since becoming an MP, Gopi has allocated Rs 6.9 crore worth of works out of the allocated Rs 9.8 crore, according to government data. Of this, 10 works (Rs 77.72 lakhs) have been completed.
Gopi’s 2024 victory is attributed to several favourable factors, including the demographics of the region, anger against the UDF’s performance, him raising his voice for the Karuvannur Service Co-operative Bank and his relentless electoral attempts.
Prime Minister Modi attending the wedding of the actor’s daughter at Guruvayur temple on 17 January 2024 (just weeks before the announcement of the Lok Sabha polls), underscored the importance of the region.
“Suresh Gopi’s influence has not come down. The campaign for assembly (elections) will pick up in the first week of April, (and run) till the polling,” said Unnikrishnan of the central team of the BJP, based out of Nattika.
C.R. Neelakandan, an independent political analyst, says that Gopi won the
2024 elections due to multiple factors including the disarray in the UDF and LDF camps, and anti-incumbency.
However, he says that even the goodwill from Christians towards Gopi on account of his philanthropic work has been undone due to his “rash” public behaviour that has left them, including party workers, disillusioned.
“Think about it. After 2024 victory, he was the first ever BJP MP from Kerala. He should ideally be the chief campaigner but he is not,” Neelakandan says, driving home the point.
The BJP, however, does not appear to be relying too much on Gopi to help them break new ground in the city in the upcoming polls.
‘Gulf money’
At the BJP office on Palace Road, workers stack up posters and flags that were brought down after PM Modi’s Sunday event.
It’s election season, yet the BJP’s office is not the busiest place in the locality. The entrance is lit up with images of party leaders, including Modi and Gopi, but the office wears a deserted look. In contrast, Kalyan Silks across the road is brightly lit and buzzing with activity.”
The BJP office bears an empty look and workers say they are busy attending various localised meetings, some of them running late into night. “He (Gopi) has been active. He was there at the family meetings or Kudumbayogam,” said Reghunath Menon, the president of the Thrissur Mandalam of the BJP.
Kudumbayogam refers to a formal and organised family gatherings that are common in Syrian Christian communities in Kerala. Menon claims that these localised meetings are core to the BJP’s outreach activities, which supplement high-decibel political campaigns.
Thrissur has no dearth of influential families, involved in traditional businesses and they wield significant influence on social and political life. The region’s historical and current economy and demographics reflect these aspects.
Thrissur, about 85 kms from Cochin, is aptly described as the cultural capital and land of temples, including the home of the popular Thrissur Pooram festival.
The entire city is built around Vadakkumnathan Temple, the 8th century majestic structure which encapsulates what came to be known as the ‘Kerala style of architecture’. It’s almost impossible to traverse the city without going around the majestic temple surrounded by around 65 acres of the Thekkinkadu Maidan.
Guruvayur Temple, another spiritual centre, is a short drive away from the city.
Home to several such temples, the region houses the St Thomas Forane Church, set up in 52 AD, and the Cheraman Juma Masjid that was built in the year 629 AD, giving a glimpse into Kerala’s deep-rooted religious traditions and rich cultural heritage.
Gopi and his family had visited Lourdes Church in Thrissur and offered a gold crown to the effigy of the Virgin Mary.
The riches, however, are not limited to heritage alone.
At least four billionaires listed in the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List 2025 are from Thrissur. This includes the state’s richest, Joy Alukkas (Koyalukkas Jewelry) M.A. Yusuf Ali (LuLu), T. S. Kalyanaraman (Kalyan Jewellers) and Kochouseph Chittilappilly (V-Guard).
“The city is flush with Gulf money,” said Vinu, a fishmonger.
Thrissur houses the headquarters of three scheduled banks in Kerala: South Indian Bank, Catholic Syrian Bank, and Dhanlaxmi Bank. It is also referred to as the ‘Golden City of India’ as it processes 70 percent of the country’s plain gold and is a hub for Diamond production, concentrated in Kaiparambu, Tholur, Adat, Choondal and Avanur.
Jewellery stores in the city are as big as small-size malls and Silk shops have high-tech, multi-level parking to accommodate the high footfall. The wealthy business community in the district has largely supported the UDF, and Thrissur is where Karunakaran built his political empire.
The BJP is hoping it can cash in on the late political stalwart’s legacy.
‘Nairs, Ezhavas and Christians’
The BJP’s candidate in Thrissur city, Padmaja Venugopal, is the daughter of former CM and Congress heavyweight Karunakaran. She had unsuccessfully contested on a Congress ticket in 2004 Lok Sabha elections.
She also has two unsuccessful assembly election outings–2016 and 2021–with the last one in which she and Gopi went headon. Both lost. Incidentally, Gopi defeated Venugopal’s brother, K. Muraleedharan in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
BJP workers emphasise that there is no bad blood between the two with some going as far as to say that it was on Gopi’s insistence that Venugopal got the BJP ticket.
Karunakaran’s children have so far been unable to capitalise on their father’s political stronghold. But this time, the BJP hopes things will be different.
There are about 62 percent Hindus, 15-18 percent Christians and a small percentage of Muslims. The BJP has raked in a good chunk of votes in previous parliament and assembly elections even though it lost. It currently has eight seats in urban local bodies, including the Thrissur Corporation.
The BJP is also banking on the fact that the UDF broke “tradition” of fielding candidates from the “Nair” community in Thrissur.
The region has a significant population of ‘Nairs’, a traditional martial and land-owning community who have served as warriors and rulers, and the Ezhavas, one of the biggest ethnic groups in Kerala that faced stiff social discrimination.
“After 48 years, the Congress is fielding a Christian candidate in Thrissur,” Menon says.
Gopi is also from the Nair community.
BJP candidate Padmaja Venugopal’s main opponent Rajan. J. Pallan is from the Christian community, and the Congress hopes it can retain its traditional Hindu voter base and also consolidate the minority vote in its favour with the bold move of fielding a Christian.
In Nattika, the BJP has fielded senior CPI(M) leader, C. C. Mukundan as its candidate after he was denied a ticket by Pinarayi Vijayan.
“In Nattika, the LDF has a very strong base. Our candidate Mukundan is the purest communist living man in Kerala. He has helped the poor and was denied the ticket because he could not collect money for his party. So, there is a lot of sympathy towards him,” Unnikrishnan says.
The BJP fielding a former CPI(M) candidate indicates that the BJP is going beyond its ideological boundaries to secure a victory in the upcoming elections.
The BJP has even planned a visit by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to help consolidate women and young voters–the core target group–in favour of the BJP.
In neighbouring Palakkad, where Shoba Surendran is considered a formidable contestant, Gopi’s name is rarely mentioned. The BJP is banking on several factors to help it in Thrissur.
Gopi’s 2024 victory does not appear to be among them.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
Also Read: In poll-bound Kerala, Congress’ candidate list has Chennithala loyalists smarting
