No history made: Voters deny PC George’s dream of father-son duo in Assembly

KOTTAYAM: The long-held aspiration of P.C. George and his son, Shone George, to serve together in the Legislative Assembly has come to an end. This follows the defeat of P.C. George, who contested as the BJP candidate in Poonjar, by UDF’s M.J. Sebastian, and Shone George, who lost to UDF’s Mani C. Kappan in Pala.

Just days ago, P.C. George had expressed immense confidence, claiming he would win Poonjar with a significant majority. He had even challenged sceptics to a one-crore rupee bet and predicted that Shone George would secure Pala. George had boldly declared that this election would make history by bringing both father and son into the Kerala Assembly simultaneously. However, the voters of Poonjar and Pala, standing firmly with the UDF, rejected both candidates.

Outcome in Poonjar

In Poonjar, M.J. Sebastian secured victory with 56,599 votes. LDF candidate Sebastian Kulathunkal came in second with 49,971 votes, while P.C. George was relegated to third place with 35,573 votes.

Although the Poonjar constituency in Kottayam district saw two-time victories for K.M. George, the founding chairman of Kerala Congress, it has been synonymous with P.C. George for over two decades. The region's politics revolved almost entirely around him, as he represented Poonjar for 25 consecutive years since 1996.

While the people of Poonjar had previously supported him regardless of his alignment with the LDF or UDF, his dominance ended with the 2021 elections. At that time, Sebastian Kulathunkal—contesting for the Kerala Congress (M) under the LDF banner—won by a margin of over 16,000 votes. P.C. George’s attempt to reclaim the seat this time as a BJP candidate ended in further disappointment.

Blow in Pala

A similar setback occurred in Pala for Shone George, who had anticipated strong support from all communities, particularly hoping for a favourable Christian vote share for the BJP. UDF’s Mani C. Kappan emerged victorious with a margin of 991 votes.

Out of the 135,851 total votes polled, Kappan secured 50,799. Despite a hard-fought contest, Jose K. Mani was restricted to 47,808 votes, while Shone George managed to garner 35,304 votes.