Scottish politician Martyn Day ties the knot with Kerala-born partner Nidhin Chand in traditional temple ceremony

Scottish politician Martyn Day married his long-time Kerala-born partner, Nidhin Chand, in a traditional ceremony at the famed Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple in Kerala, fulfilling the bride's long-cherished wish to get married at the shrine.

Witnessing the beautiful union was her 22-year-old son, Vedik Shankar, along with close family members and friends, Manorama reported.

Day shared pictures and videos of their big day on Instagram and Facebook, offering a glimpse of the couple's traditional celebrations.

The traditional wedding ceremony was later held at an auditorium in the temple town on Tuesday, with close relatives and friends of the couple in attendance, news agency PTI reported.

Nidhin and Day met in the UK in 2008, when she had gone to the country on a student visa to pursue a Master's degree in IT Management. During her PhD, the UK government introduced major changes to its immigration policies, cancelling visas for thousands of international students, including Nidhin.

However, instead of moving back, she actively lobbied the UK Parliament and represented the concerns of Indian students before Parliament. That was when she met the Scottish minister.

Initially, their interactions were purely formal, but they later developed into a relationship. The couple had earlier got married in the UK, but Nidhin’s wish to hold the ceremony at Guruvayur was delayed for various reasons, including the floods and the COVID-19 pandemic, they said, according to PTI.

Day, 55, is a former Member of the UK Parliament representing the Scottish National Party (SNP). He has a long-standing record of representing the Linlithgow area at both local and national levels. He was first elected to West Lothian Council in 1999 before entering the UK House of Commons in 2015 as MP for Linlithgow and East Falkirk, according to NDTV.

Before serving three terms as a Westminster MP for nine years, he worked as a retail banker and a local councillor. He currently chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group for India in the Scottish Parliament, according to Manorama.

Meanwhile, Nidhin, 49, hails from Pampakuda near Piravom. She moved to the UK in 2008 after completing a degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering, and went on to pursue a master’s degree in IT Management. She is the daughter of KN Chandran, a retired veterinary field officer, and Rajamma, a former member of the Pampakuda grama panchayat.

The couple married in May 2016 after Day proposed to her. When Nidhin told him about her previous marriage and her 12-year-old son, Day accepted her and introduced her to his parents, who also welcomed her warmly.

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