Kerala assembly elections 2021: After being denied seat, woman Congress leader turns rebel

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Former president of Kerala Mahila Congress Lathika Subhash will be contesting as an independent candidate from Ettumanur constituency in the upcoming assembly elections.
Lathika took this decision after she was denied ticket by the Congress party.
She had lodged a strong protest outside the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday by tonsuring her head after she found her name missing from the candidates' list.
The 56-year-old leader had called a meeting of her supporters in Ettumanur town where she announced her decision on Monday evening.
The move is a setback for UDF candidate Prince Lukose of Kerala Congress's Joseph faction as Lathika has been an active social worker in the constituency for over three decades and could walk away with a major share of UDF votes.
Earlier on Monday, Lukose visited Lathika at her residence and requested her not to contest.
Just before announcing her decision, Lathika recalled the 1987 election in Ettumanur in which Congress leader George Joseph Podipara contested as an independent candidate and won.
She said that the Congress leaders did not ask her to contest from any constituencies other than Ettumanur.
“The Joseph group did not press for Ettumanur. On the contrary, it was the Congress leaders who wanted to give the seat to the Joseph group. I had told senior Congress leader A K Antony also about my wish to contest from Ettumanur. I had also told him on March 8 that if I am denied a seat I would protest by tonsuring my head,” said Lathika.
"I did it for my fellow sisters. The protest was for ignoring the president of the Mahila Congress. If I don’t do this now, in future Mahila Congress leaders will not get the due recognition from the party,” she said.
She also resigned from her AICC and KPCC memberships.
Reacting to the decision of Lathika to contest, senior Congress leader Oommen Chandy said that if one has decided to contest, no one can stop that person from doing so.