THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In the wake of reports that surfaced in the media suggesting that the husband of Health Minister Veena George had approached the CPM leadership, urging that she should not be considered as a candidate in the forthcoming assembly elections, party state secretary M V Govindan clarified that the issue has not so far come to the notice of the state leadership.
“The said report is not before the party and the party has not considered it,” Govindan told TNIE. Meanwhile, a state secretariat member said it is now up to Veena to decide on her candidature.
However, the Pathanamthitta district leadership and some state secretariat members confirmed the reports. Veena George, who is an invitee to the state committee, and her husband George Joseph did not respond to the repeated queries from TNIE on the candidature.
Veena, who contested from the Aranmula assembly constituency in 2016 on CPM symbol retained the seat in 2021. Meanwhile, the CPM district secretariat which met on Tuesday, proposed her name for contesting in the constituency for a third time.
However, the silence maintained by Veena and her husband regarding the reports has not gone down well with the CPM leadership.
“It has been 24 hours since the reports surfaced,” said a CPM leader. “She should have dismissed them by now. This could damage the party’s prospects in the election,” the leader said.
CPM sources said that Veena’s husband George reportedly conveyed orally to some district leaders days before the district secretariat meeting that the party should not propose her name for contesting.
However, he did not convey it to district secretary Raju Abraham, sources added. The state leaders have already informed the state leadership about the issue. Former minister Thomas Isaac had attended the district secretariat meeting representing the state leadership.
The CPM has been pinning hopes on Veena’s candidature in Aranmula as she belongs to Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church which has considerable influence in the constituency.
Those who know the couple expressed surprise at the development, pointing out that they had been active in election preparations. It was George who was instrumental in Veena’s entry into politics. He was the secretary of the Orthodox Church and is active in church politics.
Triggering murmurs in political circles in Aranmula, George Joseph, the husband of Veena George, has reportedly urged the CPM not to consider the Health Minister for the upcoming elections. The reason behind the request was not immediately clear.
George was among those who had actively sought a ticket for Veena in the 2016 assembly polls. Party sources said he recently contacted senior CPM leaders over the phone and urged them not to field Veena in the coming elections. Some other family members are also learnt to have expressed similar concerns over her candidature.
Sources said the matter was discussed at a recent CPM district secretariat meeting and referred to the state leadership. A central committee member who attended the district-level discussions is understood to have taken note of the developments.
In her first public appearance since she was allegedly attacked during a KSU protest in Kannur on February 25, Health Minister Veena George on Tuesday lashed out at what she said was a ‘smear campaign against the state’s public health sector.’ Wearing a neck brace, the minister, while speaking at ‘Arogyam Anandam Pathanamthitta Fest 2026’ organised in the district, alleged that attempts were being made to spread misinformation and tarnish the image of the state’s healthcare system to ultimately benefit the private health sector.
Veena said the state government felt a sense of fulfilment in having successfully implemented the projects envisioned under the Aardram Mission. Projects worth I438 crore were completed across four districts as part of the health sector initiatives, she said in her brief address.