Sibling harmony on show during LDF, UDF candidates’ campaign in Kerala's Vadakara

P Sathidevi is a familiar name in Vadakara constituency and so is Padmaja Venugopal. Both are political leaders but the similarity ends there.

Padmaja Venugopal at a family meeting organised in connection with the campaign of her brother and UDF candidate K Muraleedharan in Thalassery

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: P Sathidevi is a familiar name in Vadakara constituency and so is Padmaja Venugopal. Both are political leaders but the similarity ends there. Sathidevi is a CPM state committee member and All India Democratic Women’s Association(AIDWA) state secretary while Padmaja is KPCC general secretary.

Back in 2004, Sathidevi and Padmaja had fought the Lok Sabha polls from Vadakara and erstwhile Mukundapuram constituencies, respectively, albeit with conflicting fortunes -Sathidevi won by a huge margin and Padmaja failed to make it.

This time around they have hit the campaign trail for their elder brothers seeking the mandate from Vadakara - P Jayarajan, the LDF candidate is Sathidevi’s sibling and K Muraleedharan, the UDF candidate is the brother of Padmaja. 

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On her contribution to her brother’s poll campaign, Sathidevi said, “I’m a party worker and had been involved with election work for several years now. I had been part of the poll campaign of Left candidate K P Unnikrishnan and was involved in the campaign at Peringalam Assembly constituency where our ancestral home is.

“I am the LDF election committee vice-chairman in the Vadakara Parliament constituency and fully engaged with the electioneering work,” she said. 

Padmaja Venugopal told ‘Express,’ “I have been campaigning for my brother in all the Assembly constituencies. I addressed several family gatherings and convinced them of the need to ensure the UDF candidate’s victory since this is a fight for survival of democracy as the return of Narendra Modi means curtains for  democracy.” 

“K Muraleedharan will win by a huge margin and the people here are waiting for April 23 to cast their ballot against the misrule of Pinarayi Vijayan Government and Narendra Modi Government at the Centre,” she said.

According to her,” The UDF campaign is working like well-oiled machine in the constituency and the undercurrents which I have sensed during the tour of the Assembly segments gives me the confidence to state the politically literate voters here will ensure a convincing victory  for  Muraleedharan.”