Thiruvananthapuram: At 44, senior Congress leader A K Antony was lonely and forlorn. Even when he arrived in Delhi as the AICC general secretary, Antony, a bachelor, felt weighed down by loneliness. That's when he decided to get married.
Former Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy smiled as he listened to Antony over the video-conferencing. Antony narrated the tale of his marriage and the role played by Chandy in forging the alliance during an event held to honour Oommen Chandy as he completes 50 years as an MLA.
Antony further said that he informed Oommen Chandy about his decision to get married. And Chandy took up the task to find a bride for Antony.
Chandy's wife Mariyamma, a Canara Bank official, then proposed the name of her colleague Elizabeth. Antony said that he wanted a registered wedding instead of a traditional ceremony. Chandy then came up with a solution for this request as well. The wedding was solemnised at Oommen Chandy's house in the presence of the registrar.
"I could not even tie the thali (mangalsutra) after two attempts. Then my sister and I jointly tied the thali," Antony added.
Other party members also listened in rapt attention to the decades-old tale and the bond between the two senior leaders.
KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran presided over the event held at Indira Bhavan.
Chandy said the public, the party and God's blessings helped him achieve the rare feat.
Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala, AICC general secretary K C Venugopal, AICC general secretary in-charge of Kerala Tariq Anwar, V M Sudheeran, M M Hassan and K Sudhakaran MP also spoke at the event.
Mullappally said that more grand celebrations, adhering to the COVID-19 norms, would be held in the coming days.
