Ahead of crucial Palakkad bypoll, Kerala BJP’s G Sandeep Varier joins Congress

Sandeep was welcomed to the Congress successful Palakkad astatine the territory committee bureau successful the beingness of enactment authorities president K Sudhakaran and Opposition person V D Satheesan.

Addressing the media, Sandeep said helium had “abandoned” the Sangh Parivar ideology.

“I’m a Congress worker. I’m blessed that I person near the marketplace of hatred and person joined the authorities of love. I’m fed up with the CPI(M)-BJP woody successful politics,’’ helium said.

“I’ve felt suffocated successful the BJP. Party authorities president K Surendran is liable for my determination to discontinue BJP.  My mistake was that I opposed the BJP woody with CPI(M) successful Kerala.  My drawback was that I was not successful the telephone database of Dharmarajan (a person accused of being progressive successful transporting BJP’s predetermination money which was looted up of the assembly elections of 2021),” helium said.

Reacting to Sandeep quitting the party, BJP authorities president K Surendran said “this volition not interaction the enactment successful Kerala”.

“Congress volition get defeated successful this by-election. This is portion of a scripted drama,” helium said.

The by-election successful Palakkad assembly spot volition beryllium held connected November 20. It is important for BJP arsenic this is 1 of the seats wherever the enactment had finished runner up successful the 2016 and 2021 elections.

Sandeep, who had contested the past assembly elections from Shornur successful Palakkad district, had been keeping distant from the party’s bye-election run this clip around.  After heading the BJP’s run during the Lok Sabha elections successful Wayanad — erstwhile Congress person Rahul Gandhi had contested from the spot — the person was seemingly upset implicit the party’s denying him a summons from Palakkad earlier this month.

After helium openly stated that helium would not run for the BJP campaigner successful Palakkad, elder RSS leaders had held discussions with Sandeep, but helium didn’t relent. Meanwhile, respective CPI(M) leaders had welcomed Sandeep to their enactment if helium abandoned the Sangh Parivar politics. CPI(M), which has fielded a erstwhile Congress person Dr P Sarin arsenic Left backed autarkic candidate, was acceptable to sorb the disgruntled BJP person into the party.

The intra-party feud has travel retired astatine a clip erstwhile the BJP is approaching the by-poll with improved prospects of winning the spot aft the historical triumph of Thrissur Lok Sabha spot successful the wide election.

In Palakkad, the Congress has fielded Youth Congress authorities president Rahul Mamkoottathil arsenic enactment candidate. Apart from Sarin, a fewer section Congress leaders had besides near the enactment aft Rahul was made the candidate.