Former Kerala Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson said that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar suggested he run for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections on a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket from Pathanamthitta.
Thomson, who was nearing the end of his career as Chief Secretary, recalled the conversation took place on a flight to Delhi during the 2015–16 period. When Kumar asked about his retirement plans, Thomson replied that he had none, and Kumar then proposed that he could contest the Pathanamthitta seat for the BJP. Kumar told Thomson that, as a good speaker and a member of a minority community, he would have a good chance of being elected and could secure a cabinet position if the BJP won.
Thomson clarified that it was a “friendly suggestion” rather than an official offer, stressing that he was not politically ambitious. He added that the BJP was seeking Christian candidates in Kerala at the time, but he declined the proposal.
He also noted that his priority had always been the charitable organisation Bhaavika, which runs a free student enrichment programme. He said he had no interest in a senior government posting, even if the United Democratic Front returned to power in the state.
