New Delhi/IBNS: In a surprise pick, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) named its Kerala unit vice president and also the party's Christian face in the state, George Kurian, as a member of the Council of Ministers took oath on Sunday.

Kurian, 63, is a native of Kottayam and a lawyer by profession.

A familiar face on TV debates, Kurian is also tasked with translating the speeches of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the state, where the BJP just opened its Lok Sabha account.

Kurian, who is from the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, has been with the BJP since 1980, when the party was founded.

In the past, he served as the state general secretary of Bharatiya Yuva Morcha (BJYM) and also a party spokesperson. He was also the vice chairman of the National Minorities Commission.

"We have now two ministers from Kerala. It shows that Narendra Modi has given due consideration for the state," BJP leader P K Krishnadas told media as quoted by The Indian Express.

In the 2016 assembly elections, Kurian had unsuccessfully contested against then Chief Minister and Congress leader Oommen Chandy.

BJP improves vote share in CPI-M-ruled Kerala by 3 percent, bags 1 seat

The BJP has improved its vote share in Kerala by 3 percent and bagged a seat after its outreach to the southern state.

After close analysis, BJP has improved its vote share at the cost of Congress-led UDF and Left-led LDF.

Scripting history, the saffron party has registered one seat by bagging the Thrissur, which was won by BJP candidate Suresh Gopi.

In Thrissur, BJP's win led UDF to suffer a loss of 9 percent votes besides relegating to the third spot.

The BJP's vote share grew from 13 percent in 2019 to 16.68% in 2024.

BJP had contested in 16 seats while its ally BDJS fought on 4 others.