Actor-Politician Gopi To Be Union Minister After Winning 1st-Ever BJP Seat In Kerala

Mumbai: Actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi, the first BJP Lok Sabha MP from Kerala, is set to join Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Council of Ministers on Sunday. This appointment fulfills a key campaign promise Gopi made to his electorate in Thrissur, encapsulated in the slogan, “A Union Minister for Thrissur, Modi’s guarantee.”

Speaking to the media at the Thiruvananthapuram airport before departing for Delhi, Gopi remarked, “This (a Cabinet berth) is Modi’s decision. He called me and asked me to be at his home at 11:30 am. I am obeying. I do not know anything else. I will be an MP working for Kerala and Tamil Nadu. I had already told people of Thrissur during the campaign.”

Gopi’s victory from Thrissur by a margin of 74,000 votes and his subsequent Cabinet appointment marks a significant milestone for the BJP. Historically, ministers from Kerala in previous NDA governments were Rajya Sabha MPs elected from other states. For instance, P.C. Thomas, leader of the now-defunct Indian Federal Democratic Party, served as a Union Minister of State from 2003-2004 in Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s government.

Suresh Gopi, 65, has been a member of the BJP for eight years. His recent electoral success is seen as a breakthrough for the Kerala BJP, which has struggled to break the state’s bipolar political dynamic dominated by the CPI(M) and the Congress.

A well-known Malayalam actor with over 250 films to his name, Gopi was nominated as a Rajya Sabha member in April 2016 by the President under the category of eminent personalities. He joined the BJP just months later in October 2016. At the time, it was uncommon for film professionals in Kerala to enter active politics. Hailing from Thiruvananthapuram, Gopi quickly became the BJP’s star campaigner, leveraging his popularity as an action movie star known for his roles as a police officer.

Gopi’s rise from a celebrated film actor to a prominent political figure highlights his adaptability and commitment to serving his constituents. As he prepares to take on his new role in the Union Cabinet, his supporters in Kerala and Tamil Nadu look forward to the contributions he will bring to the table.

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