The lone woman minister in the Congress-led UDF government in Kerala, PK Jayalakshmi, on Sunday married a farmer in a traditional Hindu tribal ritual.
The much-talked about wedding of the minister, who handles the portfolio of Welfare of Scheduled tribes and Youth Affairs, was held at her ancestral home at Mambayil near Valadu in Waynad as Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Opposition leader VS Achuthanandan and her cabinet colleagues looked on.
After the traditional ‘Kurichiya’ tribal rituals in the morning, Jayalakshmi, dressed in a green silk saree, touched the feet of both Chandy and Achuthanandan and sought their blessings.
The groom CA Anilkumar, clad in a white shirt and ‘mundu’, tied a ‘thali’ (mangalasutra) around her neck and both of them exchanged jasmine garlands as their parents and relatives showered blessings.
The wedding turned out to be a major event in the northern Kerala district with several ministers, including Ramesh Chennithala, KC Joseph and Speaker N Sakthan among those present.
The event was telecast live by regional television channels as this is the first wedding of a minister held recently.
Decades ago, KR Gowri, a firebrand communist leader, had got married to TV Thomas, also a minister. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had got married to Mariamma while he was a minister in 1977.
Jayalakshmi, in her early thirties, is a first time MLA of Congress and was elected to Assembly from Mananthavady (SC) segment.