Veteran Gowri, 92, to contest from Cherthala

Mar 19, 2011 |

Age Correspondent

Thiruvananthapuram

She is 92 and still going strong. The Janathipathya Samrakshana Samithi leader, Ms K.R. Gowri, who has decided to contest from Cherthala in Alapuzha district, will be the oldest candidate in the forthcoming Assembly elections in Kerala.
This would be the 16th electoral battle of her six-decade political career. With 14 victories in 16 elections, she has a strike rate that any politician young or old would be envious of.
Ms Gowri, whose party is a member of the opposition United Democratic Front, had demanded five seats from the Congress this time. However, with the Congress putting its foot down, she settled for four after making rebellious noises for a day or two.
The CPI(M) tried to make use of the tiff to woo Mrs Gowri back to the parent party, but the veteran did not fall for it.
An MLA for more than a half century, she was a member of the first communist ministry in 1957. A split in the communist party in 1964 caused a divide in the family too as she parted ways with her husband, Mr T.V. Thomas, who chose to stay with the CPI.
Once tipped to be the Chief Minister of Kerala, Gowri Amma's political downfall began in 1994 when she was expelled from the CPI (M) for anti party activities.

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