Former sprinter Padmini Thomas, Congress leader Thampanoor Satheesh from Kerala join BJP

Last week, Congress faced a severe jolt when Padmaja Venugopal, daughter of former Congress chief minister K Karunakaran, joined BJP. Padmaja, a former state vice-president of the party, had been sulking in Congress after she lost Assembly elections in 2016 and 2021.

Padmini, who had won a silver medal in the 4×100-metre relay and a bronze in 400 metres in the 1982 Asian Games, had been close to Congress leadership in Kerala, which helped her to head the state’s sports council. In 2020, she had superannuated from the Railways after 41 years of service.

Thampanoor Satheesh had quit Congress only four days ago saying that he felt neglected in the party. While announcing his decision to quit Congress, Satheesh, a close aide of the late Karunakaran, had claimed that he would not join any party. He was upset that the party did not include him in the list of 78 secretaries when the KPCC was reorganised recently.