A. P. Abdullakutty

A. P. Abdullakutty
Born	(1967-05-08) May 8, 1967 Kannur, Kerala, India
Occupation	Politician
Years active	1989–present
Known for	National Vice President of Bharatiya Janata Party; former Member of Parliament for Kannur; former MLA for Kannur

Aruvanpalli Puthiyapurayil Abdullakkutty (born 8 May 1967) is an Indian political figure currently holding the position of National Vice President of the Bharatiya Janata Party since 26 September 2020. He has previously been the BJP Vice President for the state of Kerala. Abdullakutty has also served as a Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha for the Kannur and was an MLA representing the Kannur in Kerala.

On 22 April 2022, he was named chairman of the National Haj Committee.

Early life and political career

Abdullakutty’s leadership qualities became evident early on when he held the role of General Secretary of the Calicut University Students' Union in 1989. Between 1995 and 1999, he was a member of the Kannur District Panchayat. He represented the Kannur Lok Sabha constituency for two consecutive terms (1999–2009), distinguishing himself as one of India's youngest parliamentarians. In 2008, his praise for Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi resulted in his suspension from the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in 2009. Subsequently, he joined the Indian National Congress (INC) and served as a Kerala Legislative Assembly member from 2009 until 2016.

In May 2019, Abdullakutty publicly lauded Prime Minister Modi's initiatives such as the Swachh Bharat Mission and Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, emphasizing their positive effects on numerous households. This endorsement led to his expulsion from the INC in June 2019.

After meeting with Modi and BJP President Amit Shah on 24 June 2019, Abdullakutty officially became a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party on 26 June. His induction was backed by prominent BJP leaders including J. P. Nadda, V. Muraleedharan, Dharmendra Pradhan, Bhupender Yadav, and Rajeev Chandrasekhar. As a candidate for the NDA, he contested the 2021 Malappuram Lok Sabha by-election but was defeated by a wide margin.

Controversies

On 17 January 2009, Abdullakutty was suspended for one year by the CPI(M) Mayyil Area committee due to his commendation of then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's development approach.

On 11 March 2014, Kerala Police filed an FIR against Kannur MLA AP Abdullakutty on allegations of rape following a complaint by Saritha S Nair, who was accused in a solar scam case. She claimed that the incident took place at Mascot hotel in Thiruvananthapuram before her arrest. However, police noted that the complaint did not specify any exact date or time.