ALAPPUZHA: Even before the final round of counting concluded on Monday, A D Thomas had achieved two huge feats.
Not only did the young Congress leader end the LDF’s 15-year dominance on the Alappuzha assembly seat, wresting it from sitting MLA P P Chitharanjan by an impressive margin of 21,015 votes, but the 30-year-old also became the youngest member of the new Kerala assembly in the process.
Born to Dominic Jackson and Akkamma of Arasarkadavu in Mararikulam’s coastal hamlet, Thomas’s early life was shaped by hardships. At 17, he began accompanying his father to the sea on a ‘ponthuvallam’ (a country boat made of thermocol) to support his family. He later took up work at a petrol pump and earned money through tutoring, while continuing his education.
A graduate from St Michael’s College, Cherthala, Thomas stepped into student politics as a college union chairman and went on to become the KSU district president.
Thomas caught statewide attention during the Nava Kerala Yatra, when he staged a protest in front of the chief minister’s convoy. Images of him being assaulted by the CM’s gunman sparked widespread reactions and brought him into the spotlight.
His victory in Alappuzha, a constituency long considered a Left stronghold, has surprised even political observers. A fisherman and construction worker who has lived the struggles of the working class, Thomas is now expected to represent their voice in the corridors of power.