Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 11 – A political conundrum seems to be brewing in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta before the arrival of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the constituency to campaign for BJP candidate Anil Antony, the son of A.K. Antony, the longest-serving Defence Minister of the country who has retired from active politics now.
Often referred to as a star campaigner for the Congress, all eyes will be on A.K. Antony when he arrives in the constituency to campaign for Congress veteran and three-time sitting MP from Pathanamthitta, Anto Antony, who has been renominated by the party.
While PM Modi is scheduled to arrive at Pathanamthitta on March 17 (Sunday) where he will address a public rally at around 10 a.m., Antony’s schedule is still being worked out by the local Congress leadership.
The Pathanamthitta Lok Sabha constituency, in which the famous Sabarimala temple is located, will see a triangular contest between three Christian candidates, with Anil Antony being the BJP candidate, and the CPI-M-led Left fielding two-time former state Finance Minister Thomas Isaac to contest the seat.
Anto Antony’s victory margin has come down over the years, from 1.11 lakh votes in 2009 to around 56,000 votes in 2014, and about 44,000 votes in 2019.
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