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 here as Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Opposition leader V S 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 C A 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 event was telecast live by regional television channels as this is the first wedding of a minister held recently.
Also Read
Decades ago, K R Gowri, a firebrand communist leader, had got married to T V 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.
A marriage feast was also arranged for the guests at the wedding venue.