Thrissur Mayor to join BJP? Union Minister Suresh Gopi drops hint

Thrissur: Union Minister Suresh Gopi has hinted that Thrissur Mayor M.K. Varghese may soon join Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The Minister, who has been repeatedly asserting that the BJP will capture both the Thrissur Corporation and the Thrissur Assembly seat, made the remarks during his ongoing public interactions across the district.

The suggestion came during his ‘SG Coffee Times’ event held in Thrissur city on Sunday. Expressing sympathy for the Mayor, Gopi said, “The Corporation authorities blocked the ₹19 crore sanctioned by the Centre for the stadium. Based on the Collector’s report, steps are now being taken to release the funds. The Mayor was not responsible for sabotaging the project. I will never say he did anything against it. I understand his helplessness.”

Gopi has been making similar remarks at multiple gatherings, urging that both the Corporation and the Assembly seat in Thrissur should come under the BJP’s control.

Speculation about the Mayor’s closeness to the BJP first arose during the Lok Sabha election campaign, when Gopi contested from Thrissur.

At that time, Mayor Varghese’s statements supporting Gopi had sparked controversy. He had publicly said that Suresh Gopi was the best candidate, fit to be an MP and a person who understands Thrissur’s development needs.

The remarks had drawn sharp criticism from the CPM, especially as the Lok Sabha contest in Thrissur was tightly fought. Though the Mayor later retracted his comments, the issue reignited after Gopi won with a huge margin. VS Sunil Kumar demanded Varghese’s removal from the Mayor’s post, but no action followed.

During the Ayushman Bharat inauguration function, the Mayor once again praised Suresh Gopi, who reciprocated with kind words. Despite the CPM district secretary urging him to correct his stance, Varghese refused. Only after state-level intervention did the Mayor hold a press conference clarifying that he had no plans to join the BJP.

However, the issue resurfaced when BJP state president K. Surendran later visited the Mayor and symbolically presented him with a cake.

The Mayor has now said that he intends to take a “three-month break” after his term ends, adding that he does not wish to continue in the post. Varghese, who was denied a ticket in the latest election by Congress, contested independently and secured the mayor post. Later, he joined the LDF and became Mayor.