Kerala man Jinson Anto Charls becomes minister in Australia's Northern Territory

Nephew of Congress leader and Pathanamthitta MP Anto Antony, Charls won the election to the Northern Territory Parliament in Australia with a thumping margin from the Sanderson constituency as the Country Liberal Party candidate.

Thiruvananthapuram: Jinson Anto Charls, a 37-year-old man from Kerala, has been sworn in as a minister of the Northern Territory on Tuesday, days after his election to its Parliament.

Jinson Anto Charls, who hails from Kottayam district in Kerala has sworn in as a minister in the Northern Territory of Australia. Charls is the nephew of Congress MP from Pathanamthitta Anto Antony.

Sharing the joy of his nephew's elevation as a minister in Australia, Antony said in a social media post that Charls contested as a Liberal party candidate from Sanderson and won the elections. His portfolios include sports, youth welfare and culture.

Charls was active in student politics during his studies in Kerala. He was a member of Kerala Students' Union, the students' wing of Congress. He was also involved in election campaign works for Anto Antony in 2009 Lok Sabha polls.

37-year-old Charls migrated to Australia in 2011 to pursue a career in nursing. He served as a director with the Top End Mental Health in the Northern Territory and as adjunct lecturer at the Charles Darwin University. He is also actively associated with the Malayali association in Australia.

In July, Sojan Joseph hailing from Kottayam district had made it to the UK parliament. He had also migrated to the UK with a nursing degree to pursue a career in health care.