Minister George Kurian resigns after Rajya Sabha term ends
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Veteran BJP leader George Kurian resigned as Union Minister after his six-year Rajya Sabha tenure came to an end and the party decided not to renominate him to the Upper House.
The Rashtrapati Bhavan announced that President Droupadi Murmu accepted Kurian’s resignation under Article 75(2) of the Constitution, following the recommendation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
A 65-year-old leader from Kottayam, Kerala, Kurian has been a long-time member of the BJP and previously served as vice-president of the party’s Kerala unit. A lawyer by profession, he became a well-known face through television debates and was frequently seen translating speeches of Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah into Malayalam during their Kerala visits, Indian Express reported.
Kurian was inducted into the Union Cabinet in 2024, a move widely viewed as part of the BJP’s efforts to strengthen its outreach among the Christian community in Kerala. He belongs to the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church and has been associated with the BJP since its formation in 1980.
Over the years, Kurian held several organisational positions, including state general secretary, national secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, and membership of the BJP’s national executive.
Kurian had also contested the 2016 Kerala Assembly election from Puthuppally against then Chief Minister Oommen Chandy but was unsuccessful. Earlier, he served as an officer on special duty to BJP veteran O. Rajagopal when Rajagopal was a Union minister during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.
According to BJP sources, Kurian was reportedly not informed in advance that he would not receive another Rajya Sabha nomination. The decision came as a surprise after the party announced its list of 11 candidates on June 4.
His situation was compared with that of former Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who had also stepped down after his Rajya Sabha term ended without a fresh nomination.
Sources indicated that Kurian would now focus on strengthening the BJP’s organisational activities in Kerala, where the party has been attempting to expand its support base among Christian voters. The outreach efforts have included initiatives such as Modi’s interactions with Christian community leaders during Christmas celebrations.
Kurian had represented Madhya Pradesh in the Rajya Sabha. For the latest nominations from the state, the BJP selected Tarun Chugh and Rajneesh Agrawal for seats in the Upper House.