Kerala Election Controversy: 'Cash-for-Vote' Allegations Against NDA Candidate Shobha Surendran

The ‘cash-for-vote’ allegations against NDA candidate Sobha Surendran triggered a major political controversy in Palakkad just hours before polling across Kerala. The row erupted after Congress released a video alleging that BJP workers offered money to voters in Kannadi panchayat, a charge firmly rejected by Surendran. Dismissing the visuals as fabricated, Surendran claimed that allegations are part of a larger conspiracy to malign her ahead of the polls. The video, widely circulated by Congress workers, shows an elderly woman, identified as Devu, interacting with another woman who allegedly hands over money before quickly leaving the scene. പാലക്കാട്ടെ ബിജെപി സ്ഥാനാർഥി ശോഭ സുരേന്ദ്രൻ വോട്ടർമാർക്ക് പണം നൽകുന്നതായി തെളിവ് പുറത്ത് വന്നു. പ്രഥമദൃഷ്ട്യാ വലിയ ചട്ടലംഘനമാണ് നടന്നിട്ടുള്ളത്. എന്താണ് ഇലക്ഷൻ കമ്മീഷൻ ബിജെപി സ്ഥാനാർഥിക്കെതിരെ എടുക്കുവാൻ പോകുന്ന നടപടി? @Ceokerala @ECISVEEP pic.twitter.com/Q41TO2iAX3 The video shows a woman entering a house in Kannadi area and handing money to an aged woman before getting into the car of NDA candidate Shobha Surendran in Palakkad. Former Palakkad municipal chairperson Prameela Saseedharan was among those accompanying Shobha Surendran, as per reports. When confronted, she reacted angrily and tried to snatch the phone. The Congress alleged that the woman gave Rs 5,000 after Shobha left in the car. “This is a fabricated narrative built on incomplete visuals. There is no evidence of BJP workers distributing money,” Surendran said, adding that she would file a complaint with the police and the Election Commission demanding an investigation into those she believes orchestrated the visuals. The BJP leader claimed that suspicious individuals had been following her vehicle for over an hour on the day of the incident. She claimed that the heated confrontation seen in the video occurred after these individuals allegedly made obscene gestures. “These visuals are selectively edited. The woman seen approaching my vehicle and the one shown sitting in the car cannot be confirmed as the same person. Only two women, myself and BJP leader Prameela Shashidharan, were inside the car,” she stated. According to local media, the aged woman’s house was located right next to the house of a bereaved family who had lost a member in an accident. Shobha Surendran and her party workers visited the mourning house മീഡിയാ കർഷകനും മഞ്ഞൾ കർഷകയും ഇലക്ഷൻ തലേന്ന് എത്ര പണം പാവപ്പെട്ടവർക്ക് കൊടുത്തെന്ന് അറിഞ്ഞാൽ നിങ്ങൾ ഞെട്ടും! വോട്ട് കൊള്ള നടത്താനും വിലക്ക് വാങ്ങാനും 'മോദിജിയുടെ ഭാരതീയ ജനതാ പാർട്ടി' അല്ലാതെ മറ്റാരുണ്ട്?! pic.twitter.com/5ZroIcOZgE The NDA candidate also visited the neighboring house and interacted with the people there for a while. It is alleged that the money was handed over during this time. The Congress workers claimed that the aged woman acknowledged that the money was handed over to her. “What action is the Election Commission going to take against the BJP candidate,” the party asked, alleging poll code violation from the NDA candidate.