With direct confrontation between rivals after decades, a fierce match awaits Kottayam

NDA candidate Thushar Vellappally being accorded a reception during his election campaign at Pala. (Source: VISHNU PRATHAP)

UDF candidate K. Francis George during his election campaign at Piravom. (Source: VISHNU PRATHAP)

A few steps beyond the St. George Orthodox Church in Puthuppally, Mariyamma Oommen, the wife of the late Congress luminary Oommen Chandy, solemnly stood before her husband’s tomb. Beside her, in a moment of prayer, was K. Francis George, the candidate fielded by the United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kottayam.