MoS George Kurian steps down as Union minister after failed RS re-nomination bid; President accepts resignation

PTC News Desk: Veteran BJP leader George Kurian on Tuesday tendered his resignation as Union minister of state (MoS) for minority affairs and fisheries after se failed to secure another term for Rajya Sabha. 

President Droupadi Murmu has accepted his resignation, the Rashtrapati Bhavan said on Tuesday.

“The President of India, as advised by the Prime Minister, has accepted the resignation of Shri George Kurian from the Union Council of Ministers, with immediate effect, under clause (2) of Article 75 of the Constitution,” the Rashtrapati Bhavan said in a statement. Apart from Kurian, Ravneet Singh Bittu, whose Rajya Sabha term is also coming to an end, was not renominated for the June 18 elections.

George Kurian, 65, served as a Union Minister of State in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's third cabinet from August 2024 until June 2026. A senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he has been associated with the party since its formation in 1980 and has also practised as an advocate in the Supreme Court of India.

Kurian had to step down after his term as a member of the Rajya Sabha ended on June 21, 2026. Reports suggested that he was not renominated following the party's poor performance in the recent Kerala Assembly elections.

Born on September 20, 1960, in Nambiakulam, part of Ettumanoor Municipality in Kerala's Kottayam District, Kurian completed his schooling in his hometown before earning graduate and postgraduate degrees in law.

He was sworn in as Union Minister of State on June 9, 2024, and formally assumed charge of the Ministry of Minority Affairs and the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying on June 11, 2024.

Before joining the Union Council of Ministers, Kurian held several important positions. He served as Vice-Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities and also worked as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to former Union Minister of State for Railways O. Rajagopal.

Over the years, Kurian built a reputation as a key BJP leader from Kerala and played an active role in the party's organisational and minority outreach efforts in the state.