While some may have coined the jingle ‘Go Corona Go’ but in south Kerala’s Kollam, a lot of people are chanting ‘Corona ki Jai’ or ‘hail corona’. Corona Thomas (24) is the BJP candidate in Kollam Corporation’s Mathilil ward.
All said and done, coronavirus wasn’t very kind on Corona Thomas either. Infected with the viral disease, she gave birth to a baby girl in October. She was in the news then. The mother and new- born have recovered well but now face another challenge in the civic body elections.
Married to a BJP-sympathising family, her husband Jinu Suresh was her main inspiration to test political waters.
“I was totally alien to politics. After I married Suresh, an active BJP worker, I also started taking some interest. When I was recuperating after delivery at my husband’s place, the ticket offer came. My husband’s family prodded me to take up the offer,” said the BJP candidate.
In the last civic body polls, BJP came close second in the ward and the party now thinks that with the young Corona at the helm, it can bridge the gap to victory.
“Initially people gave me a strange look. I told dazed people that you heard about Corona only recently, but my father gave me the name 24 years ago. Now they have accepted me as one among them and I hope it will reflect in ballots also,” Corona Thomas said.
She said her father Thomas Mathew, an artist, named his twin children Coral and Corona. Her twin brother Coral Mathew is 20 minutes older than her. She said her father wanted unique names for his twin children and finally zeroed in on Coral and Corona.
“I never faced any problem with my name all these years. But now some people give me a curious look. But they come around once I open up,” she said.
Having won the first round against the virus, she is confident of winning the final round in the electoral field. She said her wedding four years ago was the culmination of a love affair and was initially opposed by her family because the couple belonged to different communities. However, they soon came around. Her husband Jinu Suresh is a painter by profession.
Interestingly, the Kollam Corporation is a stronghold of the left parties as it has ruled the corporation since its formation 20 years ago. But this time, many seats are witnessing a fierce three-cornered contest. Local body elections, being considered the semi-final contest before the assembly elections due in five months, is taking place in three phases from December 8 to 14. Stakes are high for all three major players, CPI(M), Congress and the BJP.
