K. Surendran, the state head of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was summoned to the Kasargod district crime branch for interrogation in the Manjeshwaram election bribery case. The issue stemmed from a complaint filed by CPI(M) candidate VV Ramesh, who claimed that his namesake BSP candidate K Sundara had been bribed and threatened to withdraw his candidacy in the Kerala Assembly elections in Manjeshwaram.
Sundara said in his police statement that he was given Rs. 15 lakh and a wine bar in Mangalore in exchange for withdrawing his nomination. He claimed, however, that he had supplied 2.5 lakh and a cell phone, both of which were later confiscated by the investigation team. Surendran said the case against him was politically driven. Still, he cooperated with the inquiry because he respects the rule of law, he told reporters following an hour-long interview at the guest house.
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Sundara, a BSP candidate in the district’s Manjeshwaram seat and a descendant of Surendran, withdrew his nomination papers on March 22, giving the BJP chief the upper hand. Surendran, on the other hand, was defeated in the election. Sundara subsequently stated that BJP activists visited his house the day after he filed his candidacy papers and begged him to withdraw them. Sundara had stated, “They handed me the money in cash.” He had also claimed that BJP activists had threatened him.
Following Sundara’s disclosure, CPM candidate VV Rameshan, who finished third in the 2021 election, addressed the Kasaragod district police chief, requesting that a case be opened into the revelation’s circumstances. Sundara’s statement was recorded, and the case was filed. The matter was then turned over to the Crime Branch.
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AK M Ashraf of the IUML won the seat with 65,345 votes, while Surendran received 65,123 votes. Rameshan received a total of 40,000 votes. Sundara’s family and others, including local BJP officials, have already given testimonies to the police. Mr Surendran has been charged in the case and is being questioned by a team led by Deputy Superintendent of Police (SP) Sathish Kumar from the Crime Branch.
