After hectic consultations, BJP president Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi picked V Muraleedharan, the 60-year-old Rajya Sabha MP and former Kerala state president, as the party’s face from the southern state in the union cabinet.
After hectic consultations, BJP president Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi picked V Muraleedharan, the 60-year-old Rajya Sabha MP and former Kerala state president, as the party’s face from the southern state in the union cabinet.
Muraleedharan earlier today confirmed to reporters that he got a call from Shah about his elevation into the cabinet. PM Modi and his council of ministers will take their oath in a grand ceremony at the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhawan later Thursday.
The decision to induct Muraleedharan into the cabinet is seen as the party leadership’s move to recognise the efforts of an out-and-out organisation man who began his career in the ABVP and the RSS to later climb the ladders of the BJP. The 60-year-old leader has been a prominent face of the saffron party in Kerala, engaging in television debates and working over the years to expand the party’s footprint in the state, especially in Malabar region.
Born in Thalassery in Kannur district, considered the stronghold of the CPM, Muraleedharan, or Muralee as he is fondly called in party circles, began his political career with the ABVP, becoming the Thalassery taluk secretary, then the Kannur district pramukh and later the state secretary. He also functioned in Mumbai for five years as the ABVP’s national secretary.
Muraleedharan, seen as close to the RSS leadership in Kerala, was appointed the state president of the BJP in 2009. After completing a three-year term, he was given an extension again in 2012, finishing his term in 2015 before handing over the reins to Kummanam Rajasekharan. He has also served as the vice-chairman of the Nehru Yuva Kendra when the country was ruled by BJP’s Atal Behari Vajpayee in the late 90s.
The 60-year-old also heads one of the two main factions within the state BJP and is seen to be bitterly opposed to current president PS Sreedharan Pillai and his ways. In the 2016 Assembly elections, he contested the Kazhakootam seat and ended in the second position behind the winning CPM candidate.
Among the party’s other choices for a position in the union cabinet were Kummanam Rajasekharan, former Mizoram governor who lost to Shashi Tharoor in Thiruvananthapuram. Alphons Kannanthanam, the party’s Christian face who was MoS (Tourism) in the last government, and Rajya Sabha MP Suresh Gopi were other alternatives for the party.
Muraleedharan earlier today confirmed to reporters that he got a call from Shah about his elevation into the cabinet. PM Modi and his council of ministers will take their oath in a grand ceremony at the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhawan later Thursday.
The decision to induct Muraleedharan into the cabinet is seen as the party leadership’s move to recognise the efforts of an out-and-out organisation man who began his career in the ABVP and the RSS to later climb the ladders of the BJP. The 60-year-old leader has been a prominent face of the saffron party in Kerala, engaging in television debates and working over the years to expand the party’s footprint in the state, especially in Malabar region.
Born in Thalassery in Kannur district, considered the stronghold of the CPM, Muraleedharan, or Muralee as he is fondly called in party circles, began his political career with the ABVP, becoming the Thalassery taluk secretary, then the Kannur district pramukh and later the state secretary. He also functioned in Mumbai for five years as the ABVP’s national secretary.
Muraleedharan, seen as close to the RSS leadership in Kerala, was appointed the state president of the BJP in 2009. After completing a three-year term, he was given an extension again in 2012, finishing his term in 2015 before handing over the reins to Kummanam Rajasekharan. He has also served as the vice-chairman of the Nehru Yuva Kendra when the country was ruled by BJP’s Atal Behari Vajpayee in the late 90s.
The 60-year-old also heads one of the two main factions within the state BJP and is seen to be bitterly opposed to current president PS Sreedharan Pillai and his ways. In the 2016 Assembly elections, he contested the Kazhakootam seat and ended in the second position behind the winning CPM candidate.
Among the party’s other choices for a position in the union cabinet were Kummanam Rajasekharan, former Mizoram governor who lost to Shashi Tharoor in Thiruvananthapuram. Alphons Kannanthanam, the party’s Christian face who was MoS (Tourism) in the last government, and Rajya Sabha MP Suresh Gopi were other alternatives for the party.