In Kerala's Local Body Elections, Sonia Gandhi Fights On BJP Ticket

Sonia Gandhi is synonymous with the Congress party, but in Kerala's Munnar, the name is creating a very different buzz. Here, 34-year-old Sonia Gandhi is contesting the local body elections on a BJP ticket, turning heads and sparking curiosity far beyond her ward.

In Kerala, local body elections will be conducted in two phases on December 9 and 11, with counting scheduled for December 13. These elections are expected to set the tone for the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections.

A native of Nallathanni Kallar, Sonia is the daughter of the late Dura Raj, a staunch Congress worker who named her out of admiration for the Congress leader Sonia Gandhi. But life took a political turn that led her to embrace the lotus. After marrying Subhash, an active BJP worker and now the local panchayat's general secretary, Sonia's loyalties shifted too-from hand to lotus. Subhash himself contested the Moolakad ward by-election a year and a half ago as a BJP candidate. This time, it's Sonia stepping into the spotlight.

A Three-Cornered Contest

Her opponents are Congress candidate Manjula Ramesh and CPM's Valarmathi. Thanks to her famous name and unexpected political choice, the Munnar election scene has found its most talked-about contestant.

In this ward, which is witnessing a strong three-cornered contest, Sonia Gandhi's rivals say her name is not a major factor in political discussions, though they admit the Nallathanni battle carries its own share of curiosity. Hearing that Sonia Gandhi is contesting as a BJP candidate on the lotus symbol can sound almost unreal at first.

What's At Stake In Nallathanni

There are 708 male voters and 691 female voters in the Nallathanni ward. In the previous local body election, Congress candidate Sharmila Beevi won from here and now serves as the vice president of the Munnar panchayat. Back then, Nallathanni was Ward 17; after delimitation, it has become Ward 16 this time.

Observers expect a much tighter contest in Nallathanni this year. Congress candidate Manjula Ramesh and CPI(M) candidate Valarmathi are both from Nallathanni itself, while BJP's Sonia Gandhi hails from the West division.

Many believe her name could create some confusion or hesitation among Congress-leaning voters, and analysts are not ruling out the possibility of a small shift in the Congress vote share.