A file image of Padmini Thomas with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in September 2022.
Credit: PTI Photo
Thiruvananthapuram: A former Indian athlete and a few Congress local leaders in Thiruvananthapuram joined the BJP on Thursday.
Padmini Thomas, who was former president of Kerala State Sports Council and a recipient of the Arjuna award, her son Dany John Selvan, and local Congress leaders Thampanoor Satheesh and Udayan joined the BJP.
Thomas had won silver and bronze medals in the 1982 Asian Games in relay and 400 metres respectively. She had also participated in Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra in Thiruvananthapuram.
The Congress recently suffered major embarrassment in Kerala after former chief minister K Karunakaran's daughter Padmaja Venugopal joined the BJP last week. Thampanoor Satheesh, who joined the BJP today, was a close aide of Karunakaran.
BJP state president K Surendran said on Wednesday that many from the Congress would join the BJP ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the state on Friday.
Meanwhile, earlier in the day, Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly V D Satheesan claimed that no one of any importance has left the Congress to join the BJP. He also claimed that BJP members have been joining the Congress in Haryana and Rajasthan and in Telangana, all the sitting MPs of the saffron party have expressed their intention to join the grand old party.
Satheesan alleged that it was the ruling CPI(M) in the state which was using certain intermediaries to woo Congress leaders away from the party and make them join the BJP.
"The CPI(M) is trying to create a space for the BJP in Kerala where it does not have any," the opposition leader alleged.
(With PTI inputs)