Kerala: Will BJP field Anil Antony in Puthuppally by-election?

Congress veteran AK Antony's son Anil Antony joined the BJP in April this year. He was also recently appointed as party's National Vice-president in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Kottayam: Kerala politics is abuzz with speculation that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may field veteran Congress leader A K Antony's son Anil Antony in the Puthupally by-election. To note, the Puthupally seat fell vacant following the demise of Congress leader Oommen Chandy. The BJP had recently appointed Anil Antony as the party's National Vice-President along with former Telangana BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar and former AMU vice-chancellor Tariq Mansoor.

The speculation over Anil's candidature was fuelled by a Facebook post by M Anil Kumar, a member of the CPM state committee, who raised the question of whether the children of the two leaders, that is, Chandy Ooommen and Anil Antony, will face each other in the Puthuppally by-polls. 

Senior Congress leader AK Antony's son Anil K Antony resigned from the Congress party and joined the BJP in April this year. Anil had handled the digital communications of the Congress party's Kerala unit.

Meanwhile, the Congress party has ramped up its preparations for the by-polls in Puthuppally which is expected to be held within six months. Due to Oommen Chandy's 53 years of representation in the Kerala assembly from the Puthuppally seat, the party is quite likely to choose a member of his family to succeed him.

Senior leaders Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan and K C Joseph have been entrusted with the task of party elections. For now, the Congress party is determined that it is only appropriate to launch public campaign activities after the last of the rituals of Oommen Chandy are completed. 

The Congress workers recently organised a condolence journey to Oommen Chandy's grave at Puthuppally Church. Although the journey's stated aim is to express love for Chandy, such condolence programmes are also being viewed as part of the Congress' organisational preparations for the by-elections.