The Bharatiya Janata Party omitted George Kurian from its Rajya Sabha candidate list, nominating Tarun Chugh and Rajneesh Agrawal from Madhya Pradesh instead.
George Kurian served as the Union Minister of State in the Ministry of Minority Affairs and the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying since June 2024.
The 65-year-old leader from Kerala has been associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party since its formation in 1980 and belongs to the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church.
George Kurian Quits Union Cabinet After Rajya Sabha Snub
Kurian had served as the Union Minister of State in the Ministry of Minority Affairs and Minister of State in the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying
Summary
George Kurian resigned as a Union minister on June 23, 2026, after his six-year Rajya Sabha term expired without a renomination. President Droupadi Murmu accepted the resignation under clause (2) of Article 75 of the Constitution on the advice of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Rashtrapati Bhavan said in a statement.
His tenure was brief, Kurian had served as the Union Minister of State in the Ministry of Minority Affairs and Minister of State in the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying since his induction into the third Modi ministry in June 2024.
A Sudden Omission
The decision caught Kurian off guard. According to The Indian Express, he was not informed beforehand and was surprised by the Bharatiya Janata Party's list of 11 candidates released on June 4, 2026. His exit directly mirrors that of former Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who resigned a day before his Rajya Sabha term ended after being denied a renomination.
Kurian previously represented Madhya Pradesh in the Upper House. The BJP nominated Tarun Chugh and Rajneesh Agrawal from the state instead.
The party fielded nine other candidates for the June 18 biennial elections and Odisha by-election. The nominees include Satish Poonia and Alka Gurjar from Rajasthan; Rajubhai Shukla, Mukeshbhai Rathwa, Mansingh Parmar, and Jitendra Meghjibhai Kanzariya from Gujarat; Tai Tagak from Arunachal Pradesh; A. Sharda Devi from Manipur; and Debashish Samantaray from Odisha.
Profile and Outreach
Kurian holds deep party roots. The 65-year-old lawyer from Kottayam has been with the BJP since its formation in 1980. He belongs to the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church and previously served as a state general secretary, national secretary of the Bharatiya Yuva Morcha, and on the national executive body.
He served as an officer on special duty to O. Rajagopal between 1999 and 2004. In the 2016 Kerala elections, Kurian unsuccessfully contested against then Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in Puthuppally. He frequently translated speeches for Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah into Malayalam.
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His 2024 cabinet induction formed part of the BJP's outreach to Kerala's Christian community. This strategy includes Modi's specific initiatives, such as inviting Christian community leaders for Christmas events. Following his resignation, BJP sources said Kurian has been asked to focus on organisational activities for the party's Kerala unit.
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