Alappuzha BJP leader calls Sobha Surendran ‘woman goon’, alleges threat over cash-for-vote row
Responding to the media on Saturday, Bindu said Sobha called her around 11.40 am on Friday and accused her of sending people to Palakkad with money.
Responding to the media on Saturday, Bindu said Sobha called her around 11.40 am on Friday and accused her of sending people to Palakkad with money.
Responding to the media on Saturday, Bindu said Sobha called her around 11.40 am on Friday and accused her of sending people to Palakkad with money.
The ‘cash-for-vote’ allegations against BJP leader Sobha Surendran took a fresh turn on Saturday, with the party’s Alappuzha North district vice-president, Bindu Vinayakumar, speaking out against her.
Bindu alleged that Sobha had called her and accused her of orchestrating the controversy in Palakkad. An audio clip, circulated in the media, purportedly captures Sobha threatening Bindu. In the clip, Sobha is allegedly heard questioning whether the woman at the centre of the controversy had travelled from Alappuzha, suggesting Bindu’s involvement. Onmanorama could not independently verify the authenticity of the audio.
Responding to the media on Saturday, Bindu said Sobha called her around 11.40 am on Friday and accused her of sending people to Palakkad with money. “She alleged that those involved came in a car with an Alappuzha registration. She also threatened to slap me and said she would act against my husband and me,” Bindu claimed. She further alleged that Sobha even made remarks questioning her family.
Bindu described Sobha as behaving like a “woman goon” within the party and accused her, along with party leaders Poonthura Sreekumar and Arun Anirudhan, of functioning as a group that sidelines other sincere workers in Alappuzha. She challenged Sobha to prove the allegations and maintained that she has no connection with the incident. Bindu also said she has filed a complaint with the Alappuzha SP.
The controversy stems from allegations raised by the Congress on April 8, a day before polling, that BJP workers distributed money to voters in Kannadi panchayat in Palakkad. The party had released video footage to support its claims, which Sobha Surendran denied.
The Election Commission earlier said a flying squad conducted a probe following the complaint, and the district collector has submitted a report. Authorities are examining whether there was any violation of the Representation of the People Act or the Model Code of Conduct. Copies of the report have been shared with election observers and the police, and further action will be taken after review.
Meanwhile, the woman seen in the video has denied receiving any money.