Idukki (Kerala), Dec. 3 -- In the ensuing local body elections in Kerala, Munnar's Nallathanni ward has become the centre of all eyes - because of the name of a candidate. BJP's candidate to Ward 16 is Sonia Gandhi. The 34-year-old local woman, who shares her name with the former Congress president, has turned an otherwise routine panchayat contest into a headline-grabbing political moment.
Sonia, contesting on BJP's lotus symbol, comes from a family long aligned with the Congress. Her father, the late Durairaj of Nallathanni Kallar - a senior Congress worker - named her after the national leader he deeply admired. For much of her life, Sonia followed her father's political leanings.
Her political path changed after her marriage to Subhas...