Kottayam (Kerala), March 17 As Kerala prepares for the April 9 Assembly polls, the southern Kottayam district is witnessing a father and his son contesting as NDA candidates in two constituencies with a significant Christian voter base.
They are none other than veteran politician P C George and his son, Shone George.
Following the BJP's release of its much-awaited list of candidates on Monday, the father-son duo have been fielded in the Poonjar and Pala constituencies, which are predominantly Christian areas in central Kerala.
While George is currently a member of the BJP's national council, Shone George is the state vice president.
P C George, a seven-time MLA, is a well-known figure in his constituency, Poonjar.
He has been a member of the state Assembly for over three decades and formed his own political party, Kerala Janapaksham (Secular), before serving in various factions of the Kerala Congress.
He has represented Poonjar in the Assembly in 1981, 1982, 1996, 2001, and 2006. He later contested from his home constituency as an independent candidate in the 2016 Assembly elections and won, defeating the major political fronts.
George is known for his outspoken style in public life.
His party merged with the BJP-NDA ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Meanwhile, Shone George, a former district panchayat member, stated that both he and his father 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.
"Having two people from the same family contesting is challenging. But the leadership told us that it is the party that is contesting, not individual candidates," he said on Tuesday.
One is a member of the BJP's national council, and the other is a state office-bearer, so the party would take care of everything, Shone George said.
In the politically significant Pala constituency, Shone George is contesting against LDF leader and Kerala Congress (Mani) supremo Jose K Mani, and the incumbent UDF MLA, Mani C Kappan.
However, he rejected reports of a triangular contest in the segment.
The young leader said that Jose K Mani's participation would have no impact on the constituency.
"In a triangular contest, there should be three equal forces. In the current political situation, the ruling LDF and Jose K Mani are not significant players in the Pala constituency. The contest is between the incumbent MLA, Mani C Kappan, and the NDA," he claimed.
Stating that the BJP-NDA has made strong inroads into the Pala constituency, he said that the organizational strength achieved by the party in the segment will be revealed soon.
"Pala is not a constituency where political vendetta plays a role. 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.
