Aisha Potty held talks about joining BJP, will release pictures of meeting: BJP leader

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: BJP leader Vayakkal Soman has alleged that former MLA Aisha Potty, who recently left the CPM and joined the Congress, had held talks about joining the BJP. Soman claimed that Aisha Potty met a BJP leader in Thiruvananthapuram and said he has photographs of the meeting in his possession.

"The photographs of the meeting between Aisha Potty and the BJP leader would be released when the election period approaches. CPM is the party which once turned Aisha Potty from a believer into an atheist," Soman said. His remarks come amid indications that Aisha Potty may contest as the UDF candidate in Kottarakkara.

Kottarakkara is generally considered a strong fort of the LDF. If Aisha Potty contests as a UDF candidate, the electoral contest in Kottarakkara could become more intense. Minister K N Balagopal, who is likely to contest again from the constituency, may face a tough challenge as Aisha Potty has strong acceptance in the constituency beyond party lines. She first entered the Kerala Assembly in 2006 as an LDF candidate by defeating R Balakrishna Pillai, and repeated her victories in Kottarakkara in 2011 and 2016.

Aisha Potty was first fielded by the CPM in the 2000 local body elections, at the age of 42, to contest the Kottarakkara division in the district panchayat. A lawyer who practised at the Kottarakkara court, she was also an activist of the All India Lawyers Union. After winning the Kottarakkara division, she was made the district panchayat president for the last two-and-a-half years of the council’s term. She again won from the same division in the 2005 local body elections.