Thiruvananthapuram, March 8 (IANS): With four-time former Chief Minister K. Karunakaran’s daughter Padmaja Venugopal also joining the BJP after Anil Antony, son of three-time former CM A.K. Antony, the Congress party in Kerala appears to be unaffected.

Various Congress leaders in the state have reacted that "be it Padmaja or Anil, their leaving will not have any impact on the party as they were never leaders with base".

"The party is not going to be affected in any manner and no ordinary party workers are going to go with her. Padmaja has enjoyed all the benefits the party gave her. It is no setback for our party and no one else will join the BJP with her," said Sudhakaran, state Congress president and Lok Sabha member.

He said, "Padmaja Venugopal was given all the considerations and she got more than what she actually deserved."

While Anil Antony was in charge of the IT cell of the Congress party, Padmaja was fielded thrice by the party -- once to the Lok Sabha in 2004, Thrissur Assembly in 2016 and 2021 but failed to win.

She was a party general secretary, and very recently she was inducted into the political affairs committee -- the body of the party that takes crucial policy decisions.

Padmaja, who arrived here from Delhi on Friday after joining the party on Thursday, was taken to the state party headquarters where she told the media that she was happy to join the BJP as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a tall and a very strong leader.

“I was suffocated in the Congress party as it is a party which is leaderless. I tried a few times to meet the national leadership, but despite my best efforts, I was not able to meet either Sonia Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi,” said Padmaja.

Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan reacting to Padmaja’s allegations that she was treated badly in the Congress party said, "It’s not at all true. She was given more than what she actually deserved. Just see the hundreds of women leaders in our party who continue to slog for the party without getting anything. All that Padmaja has alleged is nothing but a bundle of false stories.”

Taking potshots at the development, the CPI(M) has said that the membership in the Congress party is a ticket to the BJP. “It appears the floodgates are open and none has a clue which Congress leader will be crossing over next,” said veteran CPI(M) leader and Left convenor E.P. Jayarajan.

After Padmaja joined the BJP, social media was flooded with reactions in the state, and many pointed out that now there will be the Karunakaran and Antony factions within the Kerala BJP as was seen for more than three decades in the Congress party.