Follow all Live Updates about Lok Sabha Elections 2024 Here“It is a do-or-die battle," said AK Antony, India's longest-serving Defence Minister, amid allegations that Anil Antony had joined the BJP with the silent blessings of his family.
The Congress has fielded Anto Antony against BJP’s Anil Antony from the Pathanamthitta seat.
In his long association with the Congress party, the senior Antony hasn't been a Congress loyalist all through.
Congress (I), Congress (Urs) and Congress (A)The Kerala Congress has long been marred by factionalism.
AK Antony joined the LDFAK Antony was one of the most prominent leaders of the Congress (Urs) faction before he parted ways in 1980 to form another faction, the Congress (A).
On April 9, veteran Congress leader and former Union Defence Minister AK Antony wished that his son and BJP leader Anil K Antony would lose the election. Anil, who joined the BJP last year, is contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections from the Pathanamthitta seat in Kerala.
Eighty-three-year-old AK Antony, who has also been Chief Minister of Kerala, asserted that he has always been a Congress loyalist and that the Congress party has been his ‘religion’, reacting to repeated queries about his son's politics.
Follow all Live Updates about Lok Sabha Elections 2024 Here
“It is a do-or-die battle," said AK Antony, India's longest-serving Defence Minister, amid allegations that Anil Antony had joined the BJP with the silent blessings of his family.
The Congress has fielded Anto Antony against BJP’s Anil Antony from the Pathanamthitta seat.
In his long association with the Congress party, the senior Antony hasn't been a Congress loyalist all through. He, like his son, has had issues with the grand old party, too. Here's a recall.
Congress (I), Congress (Urs) and Congress (A)
The Kerala Congress has long been marred by factionalism. One of the factions known as Congress (I), with ‘I’ standing for Indira Gandhi, emerged in 1978. It comprised members who were close to the former Prime Minister. Led by former Kerala Chief Minister K Karunakaran, the group emerged at a time when there was growing criticism of the Prime Minister due to the Emergency.
Also Read: Anil vs Anto: Kerala's Pathanamthitta to witness the battle of the Antony(s)
In 1979, a breakaway faction of the Congress (I), called Congress (Urs), was formed. This faction was formed by D Devaraj Urs, the then Chief Minister of Karnataka. Urs was opposed to Indira Gandhi’s son, Sanjay Gandhi's entry into the party fold.
AK Antony joined the LDF
AK Antony was one of the most prominent leaders of the Congress (Urs) faction before he parted ways in 1980 to form another faction, the Congress (A).
AK Antony's faction later joined the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government under EK Nayanar. However, after the Nayanar government fell in 1982, the Antony-led Congress (A) faction merged back into the original Congress.
Resigns as CM
Earlier, in October 1978, AK Antony, the then Chief Minister of Kerala, had resigned in protest against the Congress Parliamentary Board’s decision to indirectly support Indira Gandhi in the Chikmagalur by-election. Antony said that the board had ‘ignored’ the feelings of Congressmen in Kerala by taking that decision.
Milestone Alert! Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world 🌏 Click here to know more.
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!
