'Am I the candidate in Ernakulam? no way'; Rekha Thomas dismisses rumour

ERNAKULAM: "Am I the LDF candidate in Ernakulam? No way, I can live with my small business and family..." said Rekha Thomas as she burst into laughter. Rekha is the daughter of former Union Minister Prof. KV Thomas, who severed his long-standing ties with the Congress and joined the CPM. After KV Thomas said that he would not contest in Ernakulam again in the Lok Sabha elections, there are rumours that his daughter will be named the LDF candidate.

When asked about this, Rekha told Kerala Kaumudi, "This is not the first time that my name is in the news. There was similar campaigning in 2019 and then during the times of the Thrikkakara by-elections and the Kochi Corporation elections. I didn't know any of this. Some people are just dragging my name. All I want is to live quietly in a small world with my family and business."

In business for 26 years
For the past 26 years, Rekha has been supplying tea, coffee powder, sugar etc. to leading companies. Her office is adjacent to KV Thomas's house in Thoppumpady. Her husband is Tommy, who retired as a manager from a private firm.

LDF yet to respond
It has always been a hard job for the LDF to find a candidate for the Ernakulam Lok Sabha constituency. It has to find a candidate from the Latin Catholic community, which is a decisive force in the constituency. The front had fielded journalist Dr Sebastian Paul and former IAS officer Christy Fernandes as its candidates in the past. Although Rekha's name is doing the rounds, the LDF leadership has not responded yet.