Speculations are rife that the Centre may renominate actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi to the Rajya Sabha after Prime Minister Narendra Modi was impressed by his six-year performance both inside and outside Parliament.
However, BJP State and Central leaders want one of their star-campaigners to focus on Thrissur constituency for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Good show
In a three-cornered contest in 2019, Mr. Gopi had garnered 28.2 % of the total votes finishing third against winner and Congress nominee T.N. Prathapan (38.84%) and runner-up and CPI leader Rajaji Mathew Thomas (30.85%).
Likewise, Mr. Gopi, though finishing third from the Thrissur segment, had secured 31.30% of the total votes polled in the 2021 Assembly polls. The winner, P. Balachandran of the CPI, and runner-up Padmaja Venugopal of the Congress received 34.25 % and 33.52 % respectively.
“I have no idea about my renomination. Even my nomination to the Rajya Sabha last time was a surprise. Neither have I received any communication from the party to concentrate on Thrissur,“ Mr. Gopi, whose term ends on April 24, told The Hindu on Wednesday.
He said that he was not running after any posts. “It was for the party to decide on the future course of action. As of now, I have committed to some film projects as well,“ Mr. Gopi, who won the national award for the best actor for his role in Kaliyattam, added.
Mr. Gopi was one of the 12 members nominated by the President to the Rajya Sabha among the list of artistes as per Article 80 (1) (a) of the Constitution.
Active in Upper House
During his tenure, he was a member of the Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Committee on Communications and Information Technology, Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Coconut Development, Board, Kochi.
After his nomination to the Upper House, Mr. Gopi opted Thiruvananthapuram as his nodal district for the release of Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) funds. However, the funds were catered to development projects in 13 districts in the State and two others Kanyakumari (Tamil Nadu) and Udupi (Karnataka).
The developmental initiatives included construction of roads and bridges, setting up of facilities in schools such as transportation, smart classrooms, laboratories, biomedical equipment to hospitals and pipelines for drinking water. About ₹14 crores had been utilised for developmental purposes through the MPLADS.
He had adopted Kalliyoor village in Thiruvananthapuram under the Prime Minister’s Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana Scheme and also organised the first ever National Banana Festival in the village in 2018.
