Padmaja Venugopal, a notable political figure in Kerala and daughter of former Chief Minister K. Karunakaran, has made headlines by leaving the Indian National Congress (INC) to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on 7 March 2024. Her departure followed ongoing disagreements with the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) and local party leadership. Born on 27 October 1960 in Thrissur, she has been active in politics since 2001, serving as Chairperson of the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation and contesting multiple elections. Padmaja first ran for office in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections and later for the Thrissur Assembly in 2016 and 2021, where she lost by a narrow margin. As a BJP candidate, she is set to compete in the 2026 Assembly elections, which will feature a significant three-way contest against CPI’s Alankode Leelakrishnan and Congress’ Rajan J. Pallan.