When Thushar Vellappally, the State president of Bharat Dharma Jana Sena announced his entry to the election fray as the National Democratic Alliance candidate in Kottayam, the rival fonts had already been into their second round of electioneering. Despite this delayed entry, he swiftly emerged on the scene, initiating their campaign with remarkable efficiency.
But a notable figure has remained conspicuously absent all throughout this - P.C. George. Despite his active involvement in the neighbouring Pathanamthitta constituency, the senior leader has not made a single appearance at any election event in Kottayam so far this time. The NDA camp has attributed this absence to the party leadership’s scheduling decisions, yet it became evident that the strained relationship between Mr. George and Vellappally Natesan, the general secretary of the SNDP, is the underlying reason for this absence.
While Mr. George aspired to contest from Pathanamthitta in this election, the BJP leadership ultimately opted for Anil Antony, the son of veteran Congress leader A. K. Antony. Frustrated by the party’s decision, George publicly criticized Mr. Natesan and his son Thushar Vellappally, alleging that they had pressured the BJP leadership to deny him a seat. It was against this backdrop that the younger Vellappally entered the fray in Kottayam.
So far, the NDA candidate has refrained from addressing questions from the media regarding Mr. George’s involvement in the election campaign, being well aware of Mr. George’s considerable influence in parts of the Kottayam constituency, particularly in the Pala assembly segment.
Following the delimitation process, six panchayats previously part of the Poonjar assembly constituency, where Mr. George had secured victories in elections spanning from 1996 to 2016, were integrated into the Pala constituency. Among these, four panchayats fall within the Poonjar division of the Kottayam district panchayat, where George’s son Shaun George currently serves as a representative. This shift has raised concerns within the BDJS due to George’s notable absence.
M. George has clarified his absence by asserting that he had not received a formal invitation to back the NDA candidate in Kottayam. “While I have been approached for campaign participation in various districts like Palakkad, Wayanad, Kannur and Kozhikode, I have yet to receive any communication from the NDA’s Kottayam unit. At the same time, I will be attending an election convention of the BDJS candidate in Idukki next week,” he says.
“The NDA candidate is reported to be confident of winning from Kottayam at least by a margin of one lakh votes. If that be the case, he may not require my support at all,” adds Mr. George, rather sarcastically.
The BDJS district leadership, meanwhile, remains optimistic that the issue would be resolved as the campaign progresses. “The matter is within the purview of the NDA to sort out the differences between Mr. Vallappally and Mr. George. We are confident that he will join the NDA’s election campaign in the forthcoming days’’, said a senior BDJS leader
