Munnar (Kerala), Dec. 13 -- The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) suffered a notable setback in the Kerala local body elections after its candidate, Sonia Gandhi, was defeated in the Munnar panchayat polls on Saturday.
Sonia Gandhi contested from Ward 16 of the Nallathanni division but finished far behind her rivals, polling just 103 votes. The seat was won by Manjula, the candidate of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF).
The defeat drew attention due to the candidate sharing her name with senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, though she has no connection with the national political figure. A local resident, she is the daughter of the late Durairaj, a plantation worker and long-time Congress activist, who had named her after the form...