A K Antony Evasive On Campaigning Against Son Anil K Antony Contesting On BJP Ticket From Pathanamthitta
For Arackaparambil Kurien Antony, one of the senior -most leaders of the Congress in the country, the upcoming Lok Sabha election is notably different in many ways.
This is the first time in his political career, spanning more than five decades, that the 83-year-old Congress leader has to face the irony of his son fighting on a BJP ticket from the Pathanamthitta constituency. The three-time chief minister of Kerala called the ensuing polls a “do or die” battle. “The Lok Sabha polls will decide whether the idea of India will endure,” he told reporters here the other day.
Antony, who quit electoral politics in 2022, stated that he is willing to do whatever it takes to prevent the BJP, which is aiming to erode the fundamental rights of the people, from regaining power at the Centre. "If my health allows, I will do everything possible to keep the BJP out of power," he said.
But the former union defence minister in Manmohan Singh's Cabinet stopped short of giving a clear reply to a direct question about his son. Will you campaign against your son in the Pathanamthitta constituency? asked a journalist. “It will depend on my health. My health then,” he said while evading a direct reply.
However, he hinted that he wouldn't be extensively travelling to campaign for the Congress-led UDF candidates. He stated, "I coordinated my campaign in the last assembly elections held in 2021 from the Kerala PCC headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram."
Notwithstanding Antony’s cryptic reply, people in Kerala, who are said to "talk, eat, and breathe" politics, are eagerly waiting to see if the father will work for the defeat of son in the Pathanamthitta constituency. Anil K Antony, who joined the BJP in April 2023, has quickly become known as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's “blue-eyed boy” in Kerala. Over the past year, the 37-year-old leader has shared the stage with Mr. Modi on multiple occasions.
Anil K Antony entered politics in 2019 and was the convenor of the Congress digital media cell in Kerala. He also had a significant role in the AICC social media platform. However, he gained attention in political circles only after joining the BJP.
The recent public appearances have shown that Mr. Modi values Anil K Antony's presence in the BJP. The BJP sees him as a potential leader who can appeal to the sizable Christian community in Kerala, which has traditionally supported the Congress.
Anil K. Antony is engaged in a tight triangular contest with sitting MP Anto Antony of the Congress and formidable CPM leader and former finance minister T. M. Thomas Isaac in the Pathanamthitta constituency.
Political observers suggest that the BJP candidate in the Pathanamthitta constituency should not be underestimated, given the party's strong performance in 2019. K Surendran of the BJP received 2,97,396 votes in the last Lok Sabha polls, securing a 28.97% vote share. This marked a 13.5% increase from the previous elections.
The BJP was 83,000 votes less than the winner and 39,288 votes less than the runner-up CPM candidate. Many believe that Anil K Antony can spring a surprise if the BJP manages to hold on to its 2019 vote share and succeeds in attracting a section of traditional Christian votes away from Congress.
