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.
