NDA nominates father-son duo from two Christian-majority seats in Kerala

Kottayam: With Kerala counting days for the April 9 Assembly polls, the southern Kottayam district is witnessing a father and his son seeking votes as NDA candidates in two constituencies with considerable Christian voters.

They are none other than veteran politician P C George and his son Shone George.

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As the BJP released its much-awaited candidates list on Monday, the father-son duo have been fielded respectively in Poonjar and Pala constituencies, a Christian-dominated central Kerala belt.

While George is currently serving as a national council member of the BJP, Shone George is a state vice president.

A seven-time MLA, P C George, is a household name in his home turf, Poonjar.

He had been a member of the state Assembly for over three decades and formed his own party- Kerala Janapaksham (Secular)- before serving in various Kerala Congress factions.

He had represented Poonjar in the Assembly in 1981, 82, 1996, 2001 and 2006. He later contested from his home turf as an independent candidate in the 2016 Assembly polls and won, defeating the three major fronts.

George has been known for his outspoken style in public life.

His party had been merged with the BJP-NDA ahead of the Lok Sabha election in 2024.

Meanwhile, Shone George, a former district panchayat member, said that both his father and he himself did not want to contest from different constituencies in the same election.

However, he said, the BJP leadership insisted that they contest in Poonjar and the nearby Pala constituencies.

"Two persons contesting from a family pose many difficulties. But the leadership told us that it is not individuals but the party that is contesting," he said here on Tuesday.

One person is BJP's national council member, and the other one is its state office-bearer, and so the party would take care of everything, Shone George said.

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In the politically significant Pala constituency, Shone George is fighting LDF leader and Kerala Congress (Mani) supremo Jose K Mani and the sitting UDF MLA Mani C Kappan.

He, however, rejected reports of a triangular fight in the segment.

The young leader said the contesting of Jose K Mani would make no impact in the constituency.

"In a triangular fight, there should be three equal forces. In the present political circumstance, the ruling LDF and Jose K Mani are nowhere in the poll picture of Pala. The fight in the constituency is between the sitting MLA Mani C Kappan and the NDA," he claimed.

Stating that the BJP-NDA has made strong inroads into the Pala constituency, he said the organisational strength achieved by the party in the segment would be revealed soon.

"Pala is not a constituency that harbours any political vendetta. The ups and downs in the state administration have never impacted Pala," he said.

Shone George also expressed hope that the BJP-NDA would make a remarkable surge in the constituency.