Athlete Padmini Thomas is contesting to the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation from Palayam ward on a BJP ticket.
Arjuna Award winner and 1982 Asian Games 400 m bronze medallist Padmini Thomas, who is contesting to the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation on the BJP ticket from the Palayam ward, revealed to reporters on the campaign trail on Tuesday that she has temporarily ceased her daily jogging at University Stadium.
Ms. Thomas said she expects to resume her morning routine after the polling on 9 December. “University Stadium is central to my life. I am an ubiquitous presence at the ground. For me to take a break from daily running is a personal sacrifice for my party,” she added.
Mr. Thomas claimed that she had enough running to do. The Palayam ward has an estimated 6.000 voters. “That is a lot of ground to cover,” she said.
Ms. Thomas claimed she had a home-turf advantage, given that she has been a resident of Palayam for decades and knew her ward like the inside of her palm.
Ms. Thomas, who served as president of the Kerala Sports Council during the previous Congress government, defected to the BJP in early 2025. She, along with another Congress defector, Thampanoor Satheesh, former District Congress Committee general secretary, joined the BJP. Both are contesting on the BJP ticket in the high-stakes battle for the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation.
Published – November 11, 2025 06:58 pm IST
