Kerala News: The Panchayat elections of Kerala’s famous hill station Munnar have become a topic of discussion in politics. In its Nallathani ward, BJP has made 34 year old Sonia Gandhi its candidate. The name is after former Congress President Sonia Gandhi, but there is no relation between the two. Learn about the case in detail.
Father named daughter after Sonia Gandhi
Actually Sonia Gandhi is a resident of Munnar. His father is local laborer Durai Raj, who is a Congress supporter. He was so impressed by Congress leader Sonia Gandhi that he named his daughter after her. Later Sonia got married to BJP leader and Panchayat General Secretary Subhash. After marriage, Sonia became actively involved in BJP politics and is now the BJP candidate in Nallathani ward.
Sonia will contest local elections
Sonia’s husband Subhash is currently the Panchayat General Secretary and had earlier contested the by-election as a BJP candidate in the old Munnar Moolakkada ward. Sonia has entered politics following her husband’s footsteps and is now going to try her luck in the local elections.
Congress candidate Manjula Ramesh is facing a different challenge this time in Nallathani ward of Munnar. Be it election meetings or door-to-door campaigning, the name of the candidate is becoming the main topic of discussion. According to political analysts, this election is not just local, but this coincidence has become a topic of discussion in politics across the state.
Elections will be held in two phases
Elections for local self-government bodies in Kerala are being held in two phases. Voting will take place on 9 and 11 December, while the results will be declared on 13 December. These elections are being considered as the semi-finals before the assembly elections. Therefore, the reputation of political parties is at stake. Congress has to perform well in the local elections so that pressure can be put on the ruling LDF in the upcoming assembly elections.
BJP has made it a strategic challenge for Congress to field a candidate named Sonia Gandhi. It is not yet clear what kind of impact this name will have on voters. Yet this election has already become prominent in the political discussion of Munnar and the entire state.