Congress leader Anil Antony joins BJP, boosting party’s prospects in Kerala

New Delhi (India), April 6, 2023: Anil Antony, the son of Congress veteran and former Defense Minister AK Antony, has joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Antony, who was a Congress leader from Kerala, quit the party in January amidst controversy surrounding the BBC’s documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

At a formal event, BJP leaders Piyush Goyal and V Murlidharan, along with the party’s Kerala unit chief, K Surendran, welcomed Antony into the party. The move comes as a setback for Congress, given AK Antony’s loyalist stance and the family’s long-standing association with the party.

“His views reflect similarity with those of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on sustainable development,” Mr. Goyal said, expressing confidence that Antony will play an active role in growing the BJP’s presence in southern India. Antony, who had earlier run Congress’s social media cell in Kerala, called the BBC documentary “prejudiced against India” before leaving the party.

The BJP hopes that Antony’s induction will help expand the party’s presence in Kerala and draw support from a larger voter base, particularly Christians. However, the party has been unable to break the Left’s dominance in Kerala so far.

Anil Antony holds an MSc from Stanford University and a BTech from the College of Engineering, Trivandrum. His decision to join the BJP is expected to boost the party’s prospects in Kerala as it prepares for crucial assembly elections next year.