BJP picks Sonia Gandhi for local polls in Kerala’s Munnar, giving Congress a headache

Mangalore Today News Network

Munnar, December 2, 2025: Sonia Gandhi, the BJP candidate from the Munnar panchayat, has become the focus of local interest. Though she carries the name of the former Congress president, her political journey has taken a completely different direction.

Her father, the late Dure Raj, was a worker from Nallathanni Kallaar and a senior Congress leader. Out of admiration for Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and affection for his newborn daughter, he chose to name her after the former party chief.

However, Sonia’s political alignment changed after her marriage. Her husband, Subhash, is an active BJP worker and currently serves as the panchayat general secretary. A year and a half ago, he contested as the BJP candidate in a by-election at the old Munnar Moolakkada ward. Following her husband’s political path, Sonia Gandhi is now contesting as a BJP-backed candidate, making her a point of curiosity and discussion in the local polls.

The Congress candidate Manjula Ramesh now faces an unusual challenge, her main rival is a BJP candidate named Sonia Gandhi, whose name instantly grabs public attention.

Needless to say, the Congress nominee may not be pleased, as namesakes have historically caused a split in votes due to confusion among voters, something that could influence a closely contested panchayat race.

The Kerala local body elections for 2025 will be held in two phases on December 9 and 11, with counting scheduled for December 13. Polling in the first phase will take place in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Idukki, Alappuzha, and Ernakulam districts. The second phase on December 11 will cover Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur, and Kasaragod. Voting will be held from 7 am to 6 pm, and results will be published in real time through the State Election Commission’s “TREND 2025" portal. A total of 1,199 local bodies including grama panchayats, block panchayats, district panchayats, municipalities, and corporations will go to the polls.