Puthuppally Bypolls To Witness Father-Son Face Off: AK Antony vs. Anil Antony

The Puthuppally assembly constituency in Kerala is set to witness an unusual sight on Friday, as a father-son duo campaigns for rival parties in the lead-up to the September 5 bypoll.

Congress stalwart AK Antony will take to the campaign trail to support Chandy Oommen, while his son, Anil Antony, will seek votes for the BJP's Lijin Lal.

Anil Antony's unexpected switch to the BJP in April, where he was recently appointed as the party's national spokesperson, surprised many.

The 83-year-old Antony is slated to address two public meetings in the constituency, while Anil, in addition to holding corner meetings, will engage in door-to-door campaigning.

Although the primary contest in the constituency is between Chandy Oommen and Jaick C. Thomas of the CPI-M, the focus of the saffron party will be on its performance.

It's worth noting that the BJP's vote count in the constituency increased by over 4,000 votes from the 2016 Assembly polls to reach around 10,000 in the 2021 elections. Oommen Chandy also witnessed a reduction in his margin of victory, from 27,092 votes in the 2016 polls to 9,044 votes in the 2021 polls.

Therefore, the father and son's primary agenda is to see how many votes their respective party's candidates can secure, with A.K. Antony particularly keen on a resounding victory for the son of his closest aide and friend of more than six decades.

The bypoll in the Puthuppally constituency was necessitated by the passing of Oomen Chandy, who had been its MLA since 1970.