A large number of people of Kerala first watched Dr. Jo Joseph, an interventional cardiologist, on their TV screens a few years ago when he was rushing out of a helicopter with a blue organ transplant box held firm in his right hand. He was part of a medical team that had successfully carried out a heart transplant in the State, which was keenly followed by millions of Keralites. This week, the images and visuals of Dr. Joseph, a less-known Left co-traveller, wearing a surgical cap and a stethoscope thrown around his neck, and addressing a press conference were beamed live on news channels for a non-medical reason. He was picked up by the CPI(M) to fight a political battle.
Surprising move
In a move that surprised many party insiders and interested onlookers alike, the CPI (M) fielded him as the Left candidate for the coming bypoll in Thrikkakara Assembly Constituency in Ernakulam district. Dr. Joseph, who is a member of the pro-CPI(M) Progressive Doctors Association, will seek popular mandate in the election symbol of the party. He will take on Uma Thomas, the wife of the late legislator from Thrikkakara and Congress leader P.T. Thomas.
Interestingly, Dr. J. Jacob, an orthopaedic surgeon who had unsuccessfully contested as the LDF candidate in the 2021 Assembly polls from Thrikkakara, had been fielded as an independent candidate and allotted the symbol, football.
An earlier article by Dr. Jo Joseph — who has a few published titles to his credit — on the Pink Tide, a political move towards progressive economic and social policies and Left governments in Latin America, and is addressed to the Catholic Church of Kerala, is now being widely circulated on social media from Left-leaning accounts to affirm the Left moorings of the candidate.
Dr. Joseph had criticised the Kerala Church for being instrumental in pushing away the faithful from the Left ideology, whereas it had endeared the people of the Latin American countries to the socialist ideology. He had also written about the socio-political, religious and economic crisis faced by the Christian youth in the State after attending the International World Youth meeting, a confluence of Catholic youth, held in Panama last year.
The 44-year-old, with expertise in coronary and non-coronary interventions, is in charge of the Heart Transplantation programme of a prominent private hospital in Kochi city. Dr. Joseph also brings with him rich professional experience in endomyocardial biopsies in transplanted hearts, says his medical profile.
Last-minute drama
What makes the selection of the medical practitioner as the candidate peculiar is the last-minute drama involved in the announcement of his candidature. The party leadership sprang a surprise by fielding him a day after a section of the CPI (M) leaders, including some of its legislators from the district, shared the posters depicting a district committee member as the Left candidate. The party tried to save its skin by stating that some of its leaders fell for wrong media reporting on the candidate.
The first media address of the candidate after the CPI(M) leaders formally announced his name stoked up the controversy further. The press conference, held at the private hospital where he was working, was also attended by two top CPI (M) leaders and a priest of the Syro Malabar Church, which owns the hospital, leading to the allegations that the Left candidate was handpicked by the Church, which wields a significant influence in the constituency.
The press conference was followed by public statements by a few priests, who minced no words in criticising what they said was the misuse of the institution of the Church by providing a platform to a candidate contesting the election. They also asserted that the Church shall remain politically neutral. With the Congress-led Opposition too echoing its disapproval on the alleged role of the Church, the Syro Malabar Church was forced to come out with a clarification that it had no role in the selection of the candidate.
The poll scheduled for May 31 will reveal whether the cardiologist was successful in reading the political pulse of the constituency where the controversial K-Rail is believed to be a major poll plank raised by both fronts.
