Manjeshwar has been one of Kerala’s most tightly contested Assembly constituencies in recent years, often decided by razor-thin margins. In the 2021 election, the IUML’s A. K. M. Ashraf won by just 0.4 per cent (745 votes) against the BJP’s former state president, K. Surendran. In 2016, the margin was even narrower—just 89 votes. This time, too, there is little expectation that the winner will secure a comfortable margin, with the contest once again primarily between Surendran and Ashraf. As The Week travelled through the constituency, there was a palpable sense of uncertainty over which way the results would tilt.
Adding to this uncertainty is Gean Lavina Monteiro, 56, who is contesting as an independent, complicating calculations for political parties and fronts. Involved in her family business, Monteiro is a former panchayat president of the Manjeshwar Grama Panchayat. Notably, the BJP, which had six members in the 2020 local body elections, backed her—along with other independents—for the presidency. The Konkani Catholic community, which Monteiro hails from, has an estimated membership of over 12,000 in the Manjeshwar Assembly constituency, with around 7,000 voters.
Speaking to The Week, Monteiro said she decided to contest the Assembly election—fully aware that she may not win—to highlight a long-standing concern of her micro-minority community. Interestingly, she describes herself as someone who prefers to stay away from the media and the limelight; she politely declined requests for photographs. Nevertheless, she sees her candidacy as important, believing it is part of the democratic process to assert her community’s demands.
“The reason I am contesting is that for over 25 years, we have been requesting recognition under the Latin Catholic (LC) category. Despite repeated efforts, we have not received it,” she said. “We are Latin Catholics, but in Kasaragod, we are not being considered as such. Officials say there is no proper record to show that we belong to the LC category. As a result, we do not receive the reservation benefits that Latin Catholics get in other parts of Kerala. We are also unable to obtain caste certificates because there is no proper system or documentation in place.”
There are 16 parishes in Kasaragod and Manjeshwar that follow the Latin Catholic rite and fall under the Latin Catholic Archdiocese of Mangalore, Karnataka. Earlier, these parishes were under the Archdiocese of Verapoly, headquartered in Kochi, Kerala. Monteiro says successive UDF and LDF governments have cited this as a reason for not considering her community for reservation benefits.
Monteiro said that, traditionally, a majority of her community supported the UDF, with a smaller section shifting towards the LDF in recent years. “But both fronts have neglected us. We are contesting to show our importance. That’s all,” she said, responding to the perception that she is in the fray with the backing of the BJP to split votes. “The claims that I am backed by the BJP are not true,” she added.
Notably, the UDF—which has traditionally enjoyed the support of Konkani Catholics in Manjeshwar—made efforts to persuade Monteiro to withdraw her nomination. She said the Church has not been directly involved in her candidacy but acknowledged that UDF leaders attempted to reach her through a priest who had initiated the movement for reservations for the community over two decades ago. “No leaders from the UDF have directly contacted me—they only approached the priest,” she said, adding that there had been pressure on him.
“They [UDF leaders] promised the father that our demands would be fulfilled if they came to power,” Monteiro said. “But I asked, if half my work is already done by contesting, why should I withdraw? Assurances can always be given—but will they be fulfilled?”
Earlier, the SDPI—which also claims to have around 7,000 voters—had fielded its candidate in Manjeshwar. However, they later withdrew the nomination under pressure.
Monteiro acknowledged that her independent candidacy has both “pros and cons". “Some people are supporting us because this is a sudden change. But traditionally, Christians here supported the Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League (UDF), so convincing them is difficult. I don’t know how successful I will be. I know I won’t win. But some change needs to happen.”