Sons, sons-in-law, relatives of politicians throw their hat in poll ring

Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 26 (PTI):
A plethora of politicians’ relatives—including sons, daughters and sons-in- law, are in fray for the April 6 Assembly polls in Kerala, hoping to cash in on their legacy to woo voters.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s son-in-law PA Mohammed Riyas, the national president of Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), is making his debut in the Assembly polls from Beypore, while Congress leader K Muraleedharan, MP and Padmaja Venugopal, children of former Chief Minister late K Karunakaran have been fielded from Nemom and Thrissur respectively. Vijayan is seeking re-election from Dharmadam in Kannur.
In over 20 of the 140 seats, children of former ministers and MLAs from the ruling CPI(M)-led LDF and Opposition Congress-led UDF are testing the electoral waters this time even as several aspirants were allegedly cold shouldered. According to J Prabhash, political analyst, when there is no politics in politics, kith and kin, businessmen and independents matter.