Kerala: Cash-for-vote row hits Sobha Surendran on eve of assembly polls

With Kerala set to go to the polls on Thursday for the assembly elections, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate for Palakkad, Shobha Surendran, has been caught in a cash-for-vote controversy.

Congress workers have accused the BJP of distributing money to voters in Thiruvakurissi, Kannadi Panchayat. Social media has been abuzz with purported video clips, some of which show Shobha in the visuals.

In one of the videos, a woman is seen exiting Shobha’s car and handing money to an elderly woman at a nearby house. Shobha Surendran is also seen engaging in a heated exchange with individuals who captured 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 Shobha Surendran with the Election Commission.

Palakkad is one of the few seats where the BJP has high hopes. Shobha 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.