Sons of politicians step in to bolster campaigns

  • | Sunday | 17th March, 2019

“Gone are the days when people used to enjoy serious street plays that highlighted issues affecting the common man. Unperturbed, Anil got down to work, setting up digital media cells in all Lok Sabha constituencies in the state. “I plan to take these street plays to Kannur, Kasaragod and Kozhikode. THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In the first week of January, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Mullappally Ramachandran made an announcement in New Delhi. Anil Antony, son of CWC member and former defence minister A K Antony, will head the party state unit’s digital media cell.The ‘surprise’, however, did not go down well with young Congress leaders.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In the first week of January, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Mullappally Ramachandran made an announcement in New Delhi. The announcement came as a surprise even to several Congress leaders in the state. Anil Antony, son of CWC member and former defence minister A K Antony, will head the party state unit’s digital media cell.The ‘surprise’, however, did not go down well with young Congress leaders. They viewed it as another backdoor entry for the son of a senior leader. Unperturbed, Anil got down to work, setting up digital media cells in all Lok Sabha constituencies in the state. The initial opposition faded away as he made his intentions clear.“I didn’t come here with political ambitions. I have come here to spearhead the campaign on a digital platform, which I had successfully implemented in Rajasthan and Gujarat during the assembly elections,” said Anil, who holds a master’s degree in Engineering.The junior Antony said his job in Kerala would be easier, since 75% of the state population use smartphones. “It is easy for us to campaign and disseminate party messages among people as they are very active on social media compared to other states. Hence, there will be a bigger impact through social media campaigning,” Anil said.He has also organized workshops in three zones of the state to train those appointed in digital media cells. He sits in the war room set up at KPCC headquarters and decides on issues that should be taken up for campaign.Even as Anil has been tasked with spearheading the digital media campaign during the poll, the son of CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has plans to hold grassroots-level campaign using the tools of theatre.Bineesh Kodiyeri, who has acted in a few Malayalam movies, is busy with the background work of a street play that will be launched on March 23 at Vadakara. “Gone are the days when people used to enjoy serious street plays that highlighted issues affecting the common man. I am seeing this street play in a different note. It is a political satire which will be played at election conventions and my inspiration is (the 18th century satirist) Kunchan Nambiar,” said the law graduate.Bineesh oversees ‘Samskarikam’, CPM’s cultural campaign in Malabar region. “I plan to take these street plays to Kannur, Kasaragod and Kozhikode. The plays will narrate the controversies involving Congress and BJP,” he said.Former chief minister Oommen Chandy’s son Chandy Oommen is active in party conventions and doorto-door campaigns, along with Youth Congress workers across the state. The son and daughter of chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan are not active in politics. Vijayan’s son Vivek Thayakandi is a banking professional based in the UAE, while daughter, Veena T, manages a software company in Bengaluru.

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