With Kerala set to go to the polls on Thursday for the assembly elections, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate for Palakkad, Sobha Surendran, has been caught in a cash-for-vote controversy.
Congress workers have accused the BJP of distributing money to voters in Tharuvakurissi, Kannadi Panchayat. Social media has been abuzz with purported video clips, some of which show Sobha in the visuals.
In one of the videos, a woman is seen exiting Sobha’s car and handing money to an elderly woman at a nearby house. In another visual, Sobha is seen engaging in a heated exchange with individuals who tried to capture the footage.
Congress activists further allege that former Palakkad municipality chairperson, Prameela Sasidharan, was part of the team involved in the alleged money distribution. The party is likely to file a formal complaint against Sobha Surendran with the Election Commission.
Palakkad is one of the few seats where the BJP has high hopes. Sobha is considered a major crowd-puller for the BJP, and the party believes her influence among women voters could have a significant impact in Palakkad. In the 2024 elections, BJP candidate C. Krishnakumar came second with 29 per cent of the vote.
While the seat has remained with Congress since 2011, rape allegations against sitting MLA Rahul Mamkootathil, along with a fresh case of sexual abuse involving Congress’s Palakkad Municipality Councillor, Prashobh C. Valsan, have put the party on the defensive.