Thiruvananthapuram: Amid the campaign of Lok Sabha elections, former Chief Minister K Karunakaran's close aide Thampanoor Satheesh and Asian Games medallist and former President of Kerala Sports Council Padmini Thomas joined BJP on Thursday. Padmini and Satheesh reached the BJP office here along with the party state president K Surendran and Thiruvananthapuram  NDA candidate Rajeev Chandrasekhar.

BJP State President K Surendran recently announced that prominent Congress leaders from the Thiruvananthapuram district will join the BJP on Thursday. Padmini confirmed the same and added that she would speak out after accepting the party membership.

Padmini Thomas, a former president of the Sports Council, had close links with former Chief Ministers of the Congress, including K Karunakaran and Oommen Chandy. She also served as the state president of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee’s sports forum. She was considered the Congress' mayoral candidate in Thiruvananthapuram municipality in the 2020 local body elections but was later denied a seat.

At the 1982 Asian Games, Padmini won a bronze in the 400 m and a silver in the 4x400 m relay. She also excelled in the coaching role of the Railway team after completing her NIS diploma. When she was the President of the Kerala Sports Council, the National Games was organized in Kerala in 2015. She has also won the Arjuna Award and the G V Raja Award and had a major role in resuming the college games.

According to reports, Padmini's son is also likely to join BJP. Former members of the District Congress Committee have also confirmed their entry to the saffron party.