George Kurian is an Indian politician and lawyer from Kerala, who currently serves as a Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying and Minority Affairs in the third Modi ministry. He is a long-standing member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who joined the party ever since its formation in 1980. He was a lawyer in the Supreme Court of India.
George Kurian | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Kurian in 2018 | |
| Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying | |
Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 9 June 2024 | |
| Prime Minister | Narendra Modi |
| Minister | Lalan Singh |
| Preceded by | L. Murugan |
| Minister of State for Minority Affairs | |
Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 9 June 2024 | |
| Prime Minister | Narendra Modi |
| Minister | Kiren Rijiju |
| Preceded by | John Barla |
| Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha | |
Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 3 Sep 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Jyotiraditya Scindia |
| Constituency | Madhya Pradesh |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1960 (age 64) |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Political party | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Spouse | Lt. Col. O. T. Annamma (Retd) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | |
| Alma mater |
|
Previously, he has served as the vice-chairman of National Commission for Minorities and as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to the then Minister of State for Railways, O. Rajagopal.[1][2]
Early life
editGeorge was born in 1960 as the youngest of five children of Kurian and Annamma. He hails from Nambiakulam in Ettumanoor. His education was in Kottayam district.[3] He is a Christian who belongs to the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church.[4] Kurian is an LLB graduate and has post-graduation in Master of Arts.[5] He practices law in the Supreme Court of India.[3]
Political career
edit
He joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ever since the formation of the party in 1980.[4] George has held various positions, such as membership in the national executive committee of BJP, as the national vice-president of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha. He was the first Malayali to serve as the vice-chairman of the National Commission for Minorities. George was also appointed as an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) for the former Minister of State for Railways, O. Rajagopal. He later became a core committee member and vice-president of the BJP's Kerala unit. He has also served as a translator for the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi during his visits to the state.[5]
On 9 June 2024, he was sworn in as a Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying and Minority Affairs in the third Modi ministry.[6]
Elections
editIn 2016, Kurian unsuccessfully contested as a BJP candidate from Puthuppally Assembly constituency against the then Chief Minister of Kerala and Indian National Congress candidate Oommen Chandy.[4]
Partywise Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INC | Oommen Chandy | 71,597 | 53.42 |  6.32
| |
| CPI(M) | Jaick C. Thomas | 44,505 | 33.20 |  1.87
| |
| BJP | George Kurien | 15,993 | 11.93 | 6.22
| |
| NOTA | None of the above | 630 | 0.47 | − | |
| Margin of victory | 27,092 | 20.22 | 8.19
| ||
| Turnout | 1,34,034 | 77.36 | 2.92
| ||
| INC hold | Swing | 6.32
|
|||
Personal life
editHe is married to Lt. Col. O. T. Annamma who is a retired nursing officer in the Indian Army.[5] They have two children, Adarsh George Pockaran and Akash George Pockaran. Pockaran is the short form of Pockarankalayil, which is their ancestral house name. When they studied in schools, their classmates used to call them Pokhran.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Philip, Shaju (10 June 2024). "BJP's Christian face in Kerala: Who is George Kurian, second minister from the state in Modi govt?". The Indian Express. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
- ^ M, Arun (9 June 2024). "Who is George Kurian, Kerala's second minister in the new NDA government?". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
- ^ a b "George Kurian: Sangh's rare Christian footsoldier becomes Modi's mantri". The Times of India. 9 June 2024. Archived from the original on 9 June 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ a b c Philip, Shaju (10 June 2024). "BJP's Christian face in Kerala: Who is George Kurian, second minister from the state in Modi govt?". The Indian Express. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
- ^ a b c Who is George Kurian, Kerala's second minister in the new NDA government?, 9 June 2024
- ^ The Hindu (9 June 2024). "Modi Cabinet 2024: List of Cabinet Ministers". Archived from the original on 9 June 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ "Kerala Niyamasabha Election Results 2016, Election commission of India". eci.gov.in.
- "Bittu from Rajasthan, Kurian from MP: BJP names nine for RS bypolls". The Indian Express. 21 August 2024. Retrieved 1 October 2024.