Union cabinet reshuffle: Actor Suresh Gopi likely to find berth, says report

Thiruvananthapuram: With a major reshuffle in the BJP government and the party on the cards ahead of the 2024 general elections, Malayalam actor Suresh Gopi is likely to find a berth in the rejigged cabinet, reports said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah and party President JP Nadda's Wednesday meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence has intensified the reshuffle speculation.

It was confirmed by top party sources who said discussions on reshuffle in the Union Cabinet, as well as the party, are on.

With the next Lok Sabha polls round the corner, few ministers will be given some posts in the party while some may bag positions in the government. With the BJP not even having a single legislator in the 140-member Kerala Assembly, the 2024 Lok Sabha polls have turned out to be a prestige issue for the party.

In all likelihood, Gopi will contest from Thrissur again, for a second straight time, after coming a third in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and in the same position from the Thrissur seat at the 2021 Assembly polls.

Gopi, who recently turned 65, is maintaining a stoic silence on questions of his political future.

"The BJP has invested in me and hence I have a responsibility and am ready to do what the party asks me,” comes his reply.

Gopi became an instant fan of Modi, when he was asked to join the swearing-in of Modi as Prime Minister in 2014 and was nominated to the Rajya Sabha.

His tenure ended last year and on a few occasions, whenever the news comes of a reshuffle, the media often speculates, Gopi would well be a dark horse.

Meanwhile, several popular faces of the Mollywood industry including actor Bheeman Raghu, directors Rajesenan and Ramasimhan Aboobakker (Ali Akbar) recently quit the BJP expressing dissatisfaction over the state leadership of the party. Reports also suggested that actor cum BJP leader Krishna Kumar has a soured equation with state leadership.  

With IANS inputs