K Surendran, state president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Kerala, appeared before the Karasargod Crime Branch police on Thursday, September 16, in connection with an election bribery case. K Sundara, the candidate for the BSP in the last Assembly Election, had alleged that he was paid money by Surendran to withdraw his nomination from Manjeswaram, where the latter was contesting. A local court had then directed the police to register a case against Surendran and two other BJP leaders under the Election Commission rules.
Surendran in the April 6 Assembly polls had contested from two constituencies - Konni and Manjeswaram. On Thursday, he was with the officials for over 75 minutes and according to sources, he denied knowing Sundara.
The CPI(M) candidate from Manjeswaram VV Ramesan, who finished third in the election, is the complainant. The Kasargod First Class Magistrate Court gave the nod to register a case against Surendran and two others. When votes were counted on May 2, the Congress-led United Democratic Front candidate AKM Ashraff defeated Surendran by a margin of 745 votes.
Two months after the election, Sundara made an open admission to the media that he was given Rs 2.5 lakh and a smartphone to pull out of the election. He said that he was also offered Rs 15 lakh, a home, and a wine parlour in Karnataka if Surendran wins. On the last day of withdrawal of nomination, Sundara did withdraw his candidature. Surendran and the BJP, however, denied bribing Sundara for candidature withdrawal.
Around the same time, another allegation rose against Surendran, of bribing popular tribal leader CK Janu with Rs 10 lakh to return to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, which she had left in 2018. Janu’s party Janadhipathya Rashtriya Party (JRP) joined the NDA again in 2020. In early June, Praseetha Azhikode, JRP’s treasurer, released an audio conversation that she purportedly had with Surendran about paying Janu the money.
(With IANS input)