'A minister from Thrissur is Modi's guarantee': Actor Suresh Gopi makes his Cabinet debut

Actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi is the first BJP Lok Sabha MP from Kerala to join Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Council of Ministers on Sunday.

Gopi made history by securing the BJP's first-ever seat in Kerala, a state long dominated by the Left. It’s noteworthy that Kerala gave India its first Left government in 1957. Gopi's victory provides a significant lesson for the Kerala BJP, which has faced stiff competition from the CPM-led LDF and the Congress-led UDF. 

In a fiercely contested election, Gopi defeated CPI's VS Sunil Kumar by a margin of 74,000 votes, with Congress candidate K Muraleedharan also in the fray.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, Gopi ran from Thrissur on a BJP ticket but finished third. Undeterred, he was appointed to the Rajya Sabha by the BJP and utilized his MP funds for social outreach, efforts that paid off in the 2024 election.

Gopi gained the trust of voters, including the Christian community, by actively protesting against the CPM's alleged cooperative bank funds scam. His dedication to grassroots activism resonated with the electorate.

Known for his acting prowess and dialogue delivery, Gopi's resilience has been evident throughout his cinematic career. His political journey marks a significant shift, as he was once influenced by Communist ideologies during his college days and was a member of the CPM's Students Federation of India (SFI).

Later, Gopi developed close ties with Kerala's then Chief Minister K Karunakaran of the Congress and his family. This connection comes full circle as Gopi's opponent in the 2024 election, K Muraleedharan, is Karunakaran's son. Adding to the political drama, Karunakaran’s daughter, Padmaja Venugopal, defected from the Congress to the BJP, supporting Gopi against her brother.

"Never in the history of Thrissur has an MP from Thrissur become a Union minister. Modi’s guarantee will fulfill that," Gopi said in an April interview.

With his inclusion in Modi's new cabinet, Gopi's victory signals the BJP's serious intentions for Kerala, which heads to the polls in 2026.