Puthuppally (Ker) | Former Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy's daughter Achu Oommen on Friday lashed out at those who alleged that Puthuppally was lagging behind in terms of development, and said the people of the constituency have given a fitting response to those who tried to undermine the Congress stalwart's legacy.
Achu's brother Chandy Oommen was on Friday declared the winner -- by a huge and historic margin -- of the bypoll to the Puthuppally seat, which had been represented by their father for over 50 years in the state Assembly.
Congress's Chandy Oommen defeated CPI(M) candidate Jaick C Thomas by a margin of 37,719 votes.
The result is a slap in the face of those who tried to "hunt down" Chandy and his family, said Achu, who herself had faced an attack by online trolls during the poll campaign.
"Everyone was asking what Oommen Chandy has done in the past 53 years; the people of Puthupally have given a reply through this election that whatever Oommen Chandy has done for the past 53 years is what they want," she said.
She also said that Puthupally, which Oommen Chandy had cared for deeply, would now be safe in the hands of Chandy Oommen.
The ruling CPI(M)-led LDF had alleged that the constituency, located in Kottayam district, was lagging behind in terms of development, though it had been represented by Chandy for over five decades.
Ahead of the bypoll, Achu had also faced online trolling, which she strongly condemned, saying it was being done to divert attention from the issues of "corruption and inflation" in the state, for which the LDF government was to blame.
Achu said she had been working as a content creator in the fashion and travel sectors for some years, and her photos taken as part of her job were misused on social media platforms by vested interests with a deliberate intention to malign her father's reputation.
She had also lodged a complaint with the cyber police in this regard last week.
