Kerala MP Suresh Gopi, who took oath as minister of state, wants to step down

Emboldened by an increased vote share in Kerala, the BJP is set to have its first elected central minister from the state. Actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi, hailed as a giant-slayer for his victory in Thrissur in coastal Kerala, has been called for the swearing-in ceremony, News18 has learnt. Gopi is expected to secure a cabinet berth in Modi 3.0 after defeating advocate and CPM candidate VS Sunilkumar by 74,686 votes.

Kerala has seen BJP’s Rajya Sabha members being inducted as central ministers, but this is the first time ever that a Lok Sabha member of the saffron party may get a cabinet portfolio. The BJP’s vote share in the state shot up by around 2% from 15.6% in 2019 general elections to 17.6% in 2024.

Another senior BJP leader from Kerala and former central minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar had lost by a thin margin of around 16,000 votes in Thiruvananthapuram to Congress candidate Shashi Tharoor. Overall, the BJP saw a rising support base in the state, especially in coastal Kerala.