While low honorarium has often forced former local body members to shun a second term, Sandhya R, a 47-year-old councillor of Pala municipality in Kottayam district, has been working in London for the past nine months on a dependent visa. Mounting debts had forced her to look for a job abroad. Her situation turned worse when her husband, Vinukumar, 47, died of a suspected heart attack at his East Ham, UK, residence in April.

Sandhya has been unable to afford the cost of repatriating his body to India or arranging a burial in the UK. His body remains in a hospital mortuary as she searches for a solution.

She won the election from Murikkumpuzha ward on a CPI ticket and currently holds the post of chairperson of the Public Works Standing Committee in the Pala municipality. A native of Kannadikkurumb, she is a post-graduate and a first-time councillor and a former temporary UP school teacher. She left for the UK to join her husband, who had taken up a care home job in a desperate attempt to pull their family out of debt. Once financially stable, the family had slipped into crisis following losses incurred in share market and interest accrued from online loans. They had sold their house and vehicles and moved to a rented accommodation before leaving for the UK.

"I had several chances to go abroad earlier, but I always chose to stay, thinking I needed to be available for my ward members. Eventually, circumstances changed, and I completed the documentation for a dependent visa," Sandhya told Onmanorama from London.

Sandhya said that Vinukumar lost his phone in the UK and couldn’t afford a new one. "He struggled to send money back to us, fell into depression and eventually cut off any contact," she said.

In September 2024, Sandhya moved to London. Upon arriving at Heathrow airport on a dependent visa, confusion arose because she couldn’t reach her husband. "The officials were understanding, and after clearing up the issue, they released me," she explained. The couple stayed in touch until April 20. "We resided in different locations. He had a new phone by then, but on April 22, I learned of his death, which happened most likely on April 21. His friends found him. He had suffered two prior heart attacks," she said.

Though a British Malayali charity group offered to assist with either repatriating the body or arranging a burial in the UK, Sandhya turned down the offer after rumours circulated in her hometown that she was profiting from the funds. "I didn’t take a penny from anyone. I’ll follow whatever the authorities of the hospital, in which the body is kept, advise me," she said.

Sandhya’s two daughters, a 19-year-old nursing student and a 10-year-old, are currently living in hostels in Kerala. "The younger one has not yet been told about her father’s death. And now I am battling a debt of around ₹18 lakh,” she said. Before leaving for the UK, Sandhya survived on her modest monthly councillor honorarium of ₹9,000.

She returned briefly to Pala in February 2025 during a crucial no-confidence motion that removed then chairman Shaju Thuruthan. Her vote proved decisive, and her party arranged for her travel. "I came for just six days. The party paid for my ticket since my vote mattered for the new majority," she said.

Her prolonged absence has drawn criticism from some quarters. A person from the ward, demanding anonymity, said he had offered to arrange the return of Vinukumar’s body, but Sandhya declined and instead asked for financial help. He also noted that some ward members had raised concerns about her absenteeism.

However, current municipal chairman Thomas Peter, who oversees Ward 13 in her absence, denied any disruption. "People contact me directly, and we even conduct ward sabhas. Sandhya is active on WhatsApp groups and alerts us when needed," he said.

Councillor Neena George, now serving as the acting chairperson of the Public Works Standing Committee, confirmed that the transition has been smooth. “In her absence, powers were handed over to the senior member of the committee,” she said.

Councillor Maya Pradeep also clarified that only 50 per cent of the committee members are needed to hold official meetings. The committee has four members and continues to function with the remaining three.

Sandhya maintains that she stays connected with her constituents. “People from my ward message me regularly. Some ask me to come back, others advise me to stay and settle things first. I’m confident they trust me. If I contest again, I believe I’ll win,” she said.

​“I lost my husband and father in the same month. I couldn’t even attend my father’s funeral— I watched it on a video call. I didn’t have the money to travel. Sometimes, I even thought of ending my life,” Sandhya said.

Adding to her emotional burden is her strained relationship with her in-laws. Vinukumar’s mother, Thulasidevi, said the family had been estranged for years. "We’ve had no contact with them. They never visited us, not even with their children. We found out about Vinu's death through social media. Sandhya made the decisions about his body. We can't bring him back to Kerala — we can’t afford it," she said.

Despite everything, Sandhya remains resolute. “My elder daughter is partially blind but studies hard. I want to find a better job here and secure a future for my daughters. That’s my only goal now,” she said.