Ashwini ML
Credit: @AshwiniML2
Political Party: BJP
Parliamentary Constituency: Kasaragod, Kerala
A young woman with a friendly demeanour can be seen seeking votes from people in multiple languages in Kasaragod, Kerala's northernmost Lok Sabha constituency. Ashwini ML, the 38-year-old teacher who has been fielded by the BJP, effortlessly switches between Malayalam, Kannada and Tulu, while campaigning in Kasaragod, which is known as the ‘Land of seven languages’ with a significant number also speaking Marathi, Konkani, Byari and Urdu.
The Mahila Morcha leader’s candidature came as a surprise, but her linguistic skills are helping her stand out. Kasaragod, which shares border with Karnataka, is known for its linguistic diversity. According to the 2011 census, 82.07 per cent people here speak Malayalam, 4.02 per cent speak Kannada, 8.08 per cent Tulu and 1.8 per cent Marathi.
Around 30,000 and 25,000 people speak Urdu and Konkani, respectively. Though the names of many senior BJP leaders were doing the rounds initially, Ashwini was fielded in the constituency which has been a Left stronghold.