With Kerala Assembly elections just a few weeks away, the Palakkad assembly constituency is braced for a fierce battle as both the BJP and the Congress have fielded high-profile faces. The BJP has deployed its firebrand leader Sobha Surendran, while the Congress has gambled on the popular appeal of actor Ramesh Pisharody. The CPM-led LDF has picked restaurateur N.M.R. Rasak—the entrepreneur behind 'Rawther Biriyani'—as its independent candidate.
The spotlight is on whether the BJP can secure a win in Palakkad and end its current absence from the Kerala Legislative Assembly. Having lost its sole seat in Nemom during the 2021 polls, the party is now fighting a high-stakes battle to regain a foothold in the state's top legislative body.
Known for her dynamic public speaking and strong ground-level rapport, Sobha Surendran brings a proven track record to Palakkad. She has a consistent history of increasing the BJP's vote share across various elections.
Sobha Surendran transitioned to become a full-time BJP worker in the early 1990s at a time when the BJP had not yet seen electoral success in Kerala.
The constituencies Sobha Surendran contested:
In the 2006 assembly election, the BJP leader contested from Ponnani against Paloli Mohammedkutty of CPI(M) and Congress's M.P. Gangadharan. She came third with 13,810 votes.
In the 2011 Assembly election, she contested from the Puthukkad Assembly constituency against C. Raveendranath of CPI(M) and K. P. Vishwanathan of the Congress and came third with 14,425 votes.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Sobha Surendran secured third place in Palakkad, significantly improving the BJP's performance. The party’s vote count rose from 68,804 in 2009 to 1,36,587 in 2014, representing a 6.3 per cent surge that established the BJP as a serious contender in the constituency.
The 2016 Assembly polls saw another strong performance from Sobha Surendran, who polled 40,087 votes to finish second. As the BJP State General Secretary at the time, she was a key electoral asset, representing the party in both state-level and national contests.
It is noted that the BJP's vote share also increased in the state over the years.
In the 2021 assembly election, Sobha Surendran contested the Kazhakkoottam constituency in Thiruvananthapuram district and lost to Kadakampally Surendran of the CPI(M).
Sobha Surendran’s 2024 Lok Sabha bid in Alappuzha significantly altered the region's political map. By increasing the BJP’s vote share by 11 per cent, she successfully transformed the segment into an 'A-class' constituency for the party, despite finishing behind the LDF and UDF candidates.
The CPI(M)’s strategy of fielding N.M.R. Rasak is being viewed by some as an attempt to split the minority votes, potentially handing an advantage to the BJP in a tight three-way race. Simultaneously, the Congress finds itself on the defensive following alleged sexual assault charges against MLA Rahul Mamkootathil.
The upcoming election will test whether the UDF can overcome these hurdles and return with a resurgent performance.
