Union Minister of State for Culture, and Tourism KJ Alphons (Alphons Kannnathanam), who is contesting from Kerala's Ernakulam constituency for the BJP, was not supposed to do anything different when he boarded a KSRTC bus from the Cochin International Airport on Saturday. Unfortunately, things did not go as per his plans.
According to Malayalam media reports, the former IAS officer got off near Aluva and kick-started his campaign requesting people to vote for him. He went around parts of Aluva and Paravur for quite some time seeking the residents' support, before he realised that he is in the wrong constituency.
Though situated in the Ernakulam district, the area he was campaigning fell under the limits of the neighbouring Chalakudy constituency, where UDF convenor Benny Behanan is contesting against cine artist and sitting MP Innocent. With most of his campaign's first day hence coming to a dead loss, Kannanthanam was soon escorted to his "real" constituency in a car by his party cadre.
The Minister earlier at the CIAL had asked some non-Keralite employees to vote for him as well, a Manorama report said.
Cyber trollers and supporters of the LDF and UDF were swift enough to respond to the incident, filling the internet with memes and posts questioning Kannnathanam's readiness and merit to be a Parliamentarian.
"You can vote for Alphons ji with absolute confidence and faith. He is not ready to limit his campaigns to the limits of his constituency, likewise, he will won't limit his services as an MP to just one..." a sarcastic troll read.
Some others were more serious, asking how can a former bureaucrat be so ignorant of even basic information, and then shamelessly ask the people to elect him as their MP.
Ernakulam is expected to see a close fight with Congress MLA Hibi Eden and CPM's P Rajeev been fielded along with Kannanhanam.