Actor Suresh Gopi wins BJP’s first Lok Sabha seat in Kerala
In Kerala's 2024 elections, the BJP boosted its vote share by 3% as renowned actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi secured a significant victory in the Thrissur constituency, defeating his closest competitor by a substantial margin.
In a significant breakthrough, the BJP has won its first-ever Lok Sabha seat in Kerala, thanks to actor and national award-winner Actor Suresh Gopi. Running from the Thrissur constituency, Gopi secured the victory by 74,686 votes against strong competitors from the CPM and Congress.
Although exit polls had predicted Gopi’s win, his opponents were skeptical, referencing his previous losses. In 2019, Gopi had contested from Thrissur but finished third, losing to Congress’ TN Prathapan by 1.2 lakh votes. He also ran in the Thrissur Assembly constituency in 2021, again finishing third but with a narrower margin of fewer than 4,000 votes.
Actor Suresh Gopi: Triumph Amidst Skepticism and Controversy
Gopi’s consistent focus on the Thrissur constituency during his tenure in the Rajya Sabha from 2016 to 2022 appears to have paid off. Despite several controversies, including distributing ‘kaineettam’ during Vishu and facing a harassment case filed by a woman journalist, Gopi maintained strong support from the BJP leadership. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended his elder daughter’s wedding in January.
After his victory, Gopi expressed his gratitude to the people of Thrissur, acknowledging the challenges he faced and referring to the residents as “praja daivangal” (people gods) and PM Modi as his “political god.”
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