Day With A Politician: On The Ground In Kerala’s Pathanamthitta With BJP’s Anil Antony

Pathanamthitta, a Lok Sabha constituency located in southern Kerala, is known for being the constituency of the Sabarimala temple.

It is also one of the constituencies where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is expected to put up a tough fight against the two established players in the state — the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Congress led United Democratic Front (UDF).

Contesting from here for the BJP, is Anil Antony, who is a national secretary and spokesperson of the party. Anil, the son of former defence minister A K Antony, had joined the BJP from the Congress about a year back, after he was criticised for his stance on the BBC documentary about Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

While the UDF candidate, Anto Antony, who is the incumbent MP from the Congress, is seeking re-election for the fourth time, the LDF has fielded Thomas Isaac, who was the finance minister of the state from 2016 to 2021.

During the previous election, the BJP, which had put up its state president K Surendran as the candidate, secured a vote share of 28.97 per cent. Anto Antony of the Congress won the seat with 37.11 per cent and CPI(M)'s Veena George secured 32.8 per cent.

The BJP is now looking to improve upon its 2019 performance and win the seat.

The demographics of this constituency are interesting. While Hindus make up 56.93 per cent, Christians make up 38.12 per cent and Muslims 4.6 per cent (according to the 2011 Census).

My day with Anil Antony began on the morning of 19 March. I met him at the Bishop House, near the Catholicate College in Pathanamthitta. After a quick chat, I joined him in his car. 

Roy Mathew, Antony’s campaign manager, with whom I had been coordinating, welcomed me. Mathew is also a BJP district general secretary. 

Our first destination was Muloor Smarakam, a memorial to Muloor S Padmanabha Panicker, a poet and social reformer. While on the way, we were joined by Suraj, the BJP mandalam president (mandalam here means constituency).

After paying homage to the poet, Antony proceeded to the residence of Chandran Pilla, a district secretary of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP).

This was part of Antony’s plan to reach out to key voters for the purpose of elections and during the course of the day, he would visit many more people, said Mathew. Large public events are planned towards the later part of the month, he added.

Suraj then gave me a brief regarding the party organisation and assembly segments in Pathanamthitta.

The constituency is comprised of seven assembly segments. While two of them, Poonjar and Kanjirappally are under the Kottayam district, the remaining five — Thiruvalla, Ranni, Aranmula, Konni and Adoor are in Pathanamthitta district. Adoor is reserved for Scheduled Castes.

The party seems to have built an impressive presence on the ground, with committees in 1,400 out of 1,457 booths.

Noticing that Antony, who had been coordinating with his campaign team over the phone, was now free, I put forth my first question to him.  

There were a large number of complaints of mismanagement during the last pilgrimage season in Sabarimala. How big an issue is Sabarimala this time compared to 2019?

“It is not as big an issue as the last time but Ayyappa devotees have unresolved wounds. It was clear that there was mismanagement and the state government was unable to make adequate arrangements. Further, Thomas Isaac, who is contesting from here as the LDF candidate, had made derogatory remarks about Ayyappa devotees.”

After a short meeting with Chandran Pilla, Antony left for the next meeting, which was with Shaji Nair, the state president of the party’s Kisan Morcha.

Rubber farmers form a big chunk of the voters in the constituency.

In 2023, Archbishop Joseph Pamplany of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church had made headlines after he said that Christians would vote for the BJP and the party would get its first MP from Kerala if rubber prices were raised to Rs 300 per kg.

After the meeting, I asked Antony for his views on the situation of rubber farmers.

“Rubber farmers want higher income. At present they are getting an average price of Rs 140-170 per unit, while the break-even price is Rs 200. We have a plan to create value addition for rubber. We need an industrial park in Pathanamthitta," he says.

“Could you give me some examples of value addition in rubber?”, I asked.

“Yes. The best examples are avionics rubber and defence grade rubber. The market price for them is two times more," Antony adds.

Continuing further, he said, "Farmers' welfare in general has been a priority for the Modi sarkar. Under our Viksit Bharat vision, farmers are one of the “four castes” that have been identified by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The four castes are garib (poor), mahila (women), yuva (youth) and annadata (farmers)."

"Farmers in Kerala have been losing ground under both the LDF and UDF governments," he says, adding, “Rubber farmers have committed suicide. Farmers are facing losses due to wild boars and other animals damaging their crops. Frequent natural calamities and the inefficiency of the state government has put farmers in heavy distress.”

Just as we were finishing our discussion, the entourage reached the residence of Biju P Thomas, who is the general secretary of the Indian Rubber Dealers Federation.

Clearly, Antony is trying to touch all bases to win the support of the rubber farmers.

Apart from prices, about which Antony had already spoken with Swarajya, Biju said that there has to be a plan to reduce imports of rubber and that would save valuable foreign exchange for the country.

Our next stop was at the residence of Sam Chempakathil, a senior journalist with Kerala Kaumudi. Here the discussion veered towards infrastructure-related issues in the constituency.

Infrastructure development in the state has suffered under successive communist and Congress-led government. The Kochi Water Metro, recently in the spotlight, stands out as a rare success story that the state would have to replicate in the coming decade.

Antony seems acutely aware of the problem.

“Our party would bring the Sabari rail project to fruition and modernise the railway station at Thiruvalla, which is one of the gateways to Sabarimala. We need a number of world class transit points," he says. The Sabari rail project starts from Angamaly in the Ernakulam district and connects it to Erumeli in Pathanamthitta constituency.

"Further, we would also work on making a link to the Vizhinjam port which is going to be one of India's transshipment hubs," he adds.

“Another problem is the lack of bus connectivity after 8 PM in many parts of the district. We would like to resolve this issue.”

Having faced the same issue while reaching Pathanamthitta the night before from nearby Chengannur in Alappuzha district, I could completely relate to the difficulty.

Soon after, the entourage reached the home of Mathew Joseph, a college principal, where we were offered a traditional Malayali lunch.

The discussion soon turned from politics to issues faced by the Kerala society.

Principal Joseph says that one of the challenges parents in the state today face is that their children often go abroad, settle there and then do not return. 

Krishnan Kutty Nair, the district secretary of the BJP Kisan Morcha, nods in agreement. He adds that this has become a serious issue when it comes to property. 

“Till the parents are able to do, they will take care of the property. But what will happen later? The children are not willing to return as they are getting all the facilities abroad. This is indeed a big challenge. The only solution is job creation. We need good jobs to be available in the state in order to incentivise people to remain here."

While a large section of expats from Kerala end up in the Gulf, the case in Pathanamthitta is different. While there are a sizeable number of those who have migrated to the Gulf countries, a large number of people from the district have moved to the West, where they get citizenship and better opportunities.

After lunch, we left for Amritapuri, in Kollam district, as Antony was to meet Mata Amritanandamayi, popularly known as Amma, to seek her blessings. 

As the meeting was personal in nature, Mathew and myself sat downstairs.

On the way back, I ask him about the Kerala government’s ongoing tussle with the Centre over finances and does he see the issue making any impact on the ground.

“Economic mismanagement has led to massive debt. It is the state government’s fault. The Centre has been magnanimous despite fiscal profligacy and mismanagement and raised the debt ceiling multiple times," Antony says.

“Young people I meet are worried about their present and future as there are no jobs. Teachers, police, and medical laboratory staff haven’t been paid salaries on time. The RBI has said that Kerala is one of the three states with the least growth and is number two in youth unemployment," he adds.

“The problem is that the state government does not want accountability. All that the Centre is asking for is accountability and responsible spending/ borrowing.”

I then ask if he has a solution to set right Kerala’s finances, to which he says, “The solution lies in basic economics. You have to spend more on things that fetch you better returns and then spend from your earnings. That is how a normal family works.

“The state government is not supporting private industry or creating a conducive climate for them. It is taking loans to pay off loans. It has only three main sources of income — remittances, alcohol and tourism. There are no big industries. The potential IT and tech sector is going away to neighbouring states.

"I don't have much hope from this government. A communist government that does not understand the importance of capital and capitalism in the 21st century due to their ideology does not have much of a chance in improving the economy.”

The conversation then veers towards the BJP's chances in Pathanamthitta.

“We are not facing any challenges as such. Our vote share in the constituency has been increasing," Antony claims.

"But the Left and the UDF are known to transfer votes to each other to keep BJP out. Here (in Kerala) they are saying that they are fighting each other but outside they are allies (part of INDI Alliance) and their position on almost everything is similar. So that is something that could happen. 

“However, in spite of that we are confident of winning.”'

On the question of Kerala Janapaksham (Secular) leader PC George, who recently joined the BJP, Antony says, "I have the support of P C George and his family."

There were reports that George was unhappy with Antony's candidature.

"I have met him [P C George] in person. He and his son Shaun George are participating in our campaign. Rumours of a rift between us are a creation of our political opponents to divide the party. But they will not succeed."

Asked what could go against the UDF and LDF in Pathanamthitta, Antony says, “Anto Antony, the Congress MP, has been in power for 15 years, of which during the first five years, there was a UPA government at the Centre but still the constituency lacks in basic infrastructure and has connectivity issues as I mentioned earlier.

“Pathanamthitta could have been made into a religious tourism hub. While it is well known for Sabarimala, a number of Christian sects have their holy places here like Parumala for the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, Maramon for the Mar Thoma Syrian Church, Manjinikkara for the Jacobites, and Kumbanad for the Pentecostal Church."

Hearing our conversation, Mathew adds that Erumeli is important for both Muslims and Hindus due to the mosque of Vavar, who is believed to be a devotee of Lord Ayyappa.

"Not just religious places, there is also scope for ecotourism at places like Gavi and Adavi. Our district is also famous for the boat race at Aranmula."

Continuing to speak about the candidates, Antony said, “Apart from being known for his derogatory remarks on Ayyappa devotees, Thomas Isaac, the LDF candidate is seen as being responsible for ruining Kerala’s finances during his tenure as Finance Minister of the state.”

"I tell people that if they vote for Anto Antony, he'll be an MP from a party that is expected to have around 40 members in the Lok Sabha. Isaac, on the other hand would be from an even smaller party that is fighting to retain its national party status.

"If I am elected, I'll be part of the ruling party at the Centre, which is likely to get 370 seats and cross the 400 mark along with its alliance partners.

"Even without being in power in the state, we have been able to do so much for Kerala through various central government schemes. As an MP belonging to the ruling party at the Centre, I'll be able to do much more."

Swarajya then asked him about Anto Antony’s remarks regarding Pulwama.

“The INDI Alliance partners, i.e., the Congress and the Left think that they can defeat us by pandering to a few radicalised Muslims. They are cut off from the ground reality. A vast majority of Muslims do not subscribe to these kind of views," he says.

“These remarks by Anto Antony should not be seen in isolation. His party leader, Rahul Gandhi, is often seen in the company of people who are anti-India. 

“Our party condemned this attempt by Anto Antony to whitewash the image of Pakistan and tarnish the image of the Indian government. We have demanded an apology from him and also said that we would take legal measures if he doesn't do so."

With this our conversation on day one came to an end and we soon returned to Pathanamthitta.

Early next morning, Swarajya joined Antony and his team on their visit to the St Mary’s Malankara Catholic Church in Perunad.

Here, Antony met local community leaders and members of the church. Over the last few months, the BJP, led by the Prime Minister himself, has been reaching out to the Christian community, which would be crucial for the BJP's victory in constituencies like Pathanamthitta.

Following this, Antony had a few meetings with key opinion makers like the owner of the Power Vision TV channel and prominent businessmen. He also visited the home of the late Malayalam actor M G Soman.

Inquisitive to know about how the party’s much talked about outreach to Christians had been working, I asked Antony if he gets asked about issues like the violence in Manipur and if people are recognising the work done by the party in the North East, which has a significant Christian population.

“Not just Christians, we are reaching out to everyone. Modi ji has asked us to reach out to all 140 crore Indians. 

“With regards to Manipur, our political opponents, i.e., the Left and the Congress have spread a lot of wrong information and so when me meet Church leaders, we get an opportunity to put across our point of view and mitigate the negativity spread about the party.”

“The North East is growing faster than any other region. We are working on making it a hub that would connect us to South East Asia. Not just the North East, the entire country has seen a remarkable transformation under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Look at the increase in the number of airports and medical colleges for instance.

“The Congress and the Left, through their control of the media here, have been trying to prevent the people from knowing the reality but in the age of digital and social media, they cannot get away for long.

“Even without a single MP or MLA, the BJP has been able to create an impact on the ground in Kerala through the large number of schemes of the central government. 

“People have understood that having a BJP MP is better than having someone from the Congress who would be one of probably 40 and Isaac who would be one of less than 10.”

Interestingly, Antony was the party's co-incharge in Mizoram, where nearly 87 per cent population is Christian. I asked him if he has been able to apply some of your learnings from that state in Kerala.

"Mizoram was quite different as the party was in a fledgling state and we had to set up everything newly. That stint gave me an idea of the organisational side of the party.

"The state has been dominated by regional parties. We also did well to increase our seat tally to two. We are now the largest national party in the state. The Congress which was present there for decades now has just one seat.

"Kerala is different. Every state has its unique set of requirements and challenges. Also, unlike there, I am a candidate here."

The entourage then reached the Yammarkulangara Sree Maha Ganapathi Temple in Peringara, where Antony sought blessings of the deity and interacted with the people.

To gauge the mood on the ground, I asked a group of women whom they would support in the upcoming election. Initially hesitant to speak because they did not understand English or Hindi, they opened up a bit when I spoke in Tamil.

"All of us are Modi supporters and we will vote for BJP."

"What's the problem with Anto Antony, the current MP and Thomas Isaac," I ask.

"Anto Antony hasn't done anything significant for us. We don't have any hopes from Isaac either. PM Modi has done good work. We have benefited from it."

"Are you all from Pathanamthitta?" I ask.

"Yes. We are from here. We want to see Anil Antony as the MP. We believe he will be able to bring development to our district."

The campaign team then made a stop at the residence of Sam Verghese, who is a senior member of the Mar Thoma church. He joined the party in the presence of Antony.

Clearly, the party's outreach to the Christian community is still going strong on the ground. It only reinforces the assessment that the support of the community would be critical for the BJP to have a real shot at winning Pathanamthitta.

Following this, the entourage reached the residence of the vice president of the state's Veera Shaiva Sangam, where he discussed issues faced by his community in the state and sought the BJP's support.

The next stop was a temple at Kadapra town, where Antony had darshan and received the temple prasad.

With this, Swarajya's journey with Antony and his team in Pathanamthitta was nearing its end.

I bid them goodbye after we reached Thiruvalla and took a bus from there to return to Pathanamthitta town, from where I was to continue my onward journey that would take me through areas locally known as the 'high ranges' and has some of Kerala's most breathtaking scenery.

This report is part of Swarajya's 50 Ground Stories Project - an attempt to throw light on themes and topics that are often overlooked or looked down. You can support this initiative by sponsoring as little as Rs 2,999/-. Click here for more details.