Chandy Oommen begins election campaign
Kick-starts his efforts to win in Puthuppally by offering prayers at St George Orthodox Church; visits father’s tomb
Published: 10th August 2023 09:14 AM | Last Updated: 10th August 2023 09:14 AM | A+A A-
Chandy Oommen arriving at St George Church in Puthuppally along with senior leader K C Joseph and others to attend a funeral on Wednesday | Vishnu Prathap
KOTTAYAM: As his election campaign begins to take shape, Chandy Oommen is upholding the tradition set by his father, initiating his efforts with prayers at St George Orthodox Church in Puthuppally. On the inaugural day of his candidacy, Chandy Oommen embarked on his political journey by visiting this church. During this visit, he also took a moment to pay his respects at his father’s final resting place.
Despite the formal campaign launch by UDF not being underway, Chandy Oommen wasted no time in reconnecting with his constituents. Accompanied by Oommen Chandy’s ex-driver Shaji and and former gunman Sreekumar, he toured various spots within the Puthuppally constituency, engaging with grassroots leaders and supporters. Sreekumar remarked,”The UDF is not worried about his (Chandy’s) victory; it’s the margin that counts.”
Chandy Oommen initiated his community engagement by meeting churchgoers visiting his father’s tomb after the morning mass. By 8:30 AM, he headed to Ernakulam to pay respects to filmmaker Siddique. En route, he participated in a few funerals in Pampady and Puthuppally.
During the afternoon, he joined a Youth Congress event in Puthuppally and later visited the state office of the Cherama-Sambava Development Society in Vazhoor, conferring with CSDS state president K K Suresh. He also paid his respects at Dr. B R Ambedkar’s statue there, considering the significant voter base of the Cherama and Sambava communities in Puthuppally.
In the evening, Chandy engaged in discussions with senior Congress leader K C Joseph and Youth Congress district president Chintu Kurian Joy at his sister’s residence in Puthuppally.While block Congress committee presidents and DCC secretaries received quick in-person meetings, others were contacted via phone. His packed schedule extended into the late hours as he met party workers in Akalakunnam and Ayarkunnam panchayats. He plans to seek blessings from senior Congress leader A K Antony in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday.
Meanwhile, after swiftly announcing its candidate post-election declaration, the UDF is set to launch its election campaign on Thursday, with state leaders including Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan arriving in Kottayam. Satheesan will meet senior leaders like K C Joseph and Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, who are overseeing the election campaign. In addition, the District Congress committee and Youth Congress state committee will convene meetings in Kottayam and Puthuppally to discuss their election action plan.
