K Surendran, the Kerala BJP president and National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate contesting against Congress MP Rahul Gandhi in the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, is under scrutiny as it’s revealed that he has 242 criminal cases filed against him. This revelation comes amidst the ongoing electoral preparations and campaigns leading up to the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Surendran’s criminal record was made public as part of statutory requirements, with the details of his cases published in the party’s official mouthpiece spanning three full pages. The disclosure also highlighted similar legal challenges faced by other BJP candidates, such as K S Radhakrishnan, who has around 211 cases against him.
The majority of the cases against Surendran are linked to the Sabarimala protests of 2018, a significant event in Kerala’s recent political history. “Most of the cases are related to Sabarimala protests which were held in 2018. Most of the cases are in court. When party leaders call for a strike or a protest, the police register a case in connection with that,” explained George Kurian, the state general secretary of the BJP.
The publication of these details underscores the mandatory nature of disclosing such information about candidates running for public office. BJP’s national general secretary B L Santhosh also weighed in, tweeting about the cases against Surendran, Radhakrishnan, Shobha Surendran, and Praful Krishna, lamenting the challenges faced by nationalists in certain regions.
Kurian further provided a breakdown of the cases against Surendran, revealing that 237 cases were related to the Sabarimala protests, with the remaining five linked to various agitations in Kerala. The Sabarimala protests erupted after the Kerala government’s decision to implement the Supreme Court order allowing women’s entry to the Sabarimala shrine, leading to widespread demonstrations and legal repercussions.
As the electoral process unfolds, candidates from various parties are filing their nominations. The Election Commission has already received 18 nominations, with notable candidates like Left candidate M Mukesh from Kollam and BJP candidate Ashwini M L from Kasaragod submitting their papers. The nomination process will be followed by scrutiny on April 5, with the deadline for withdrawal set for April 8.
Sources By Agencies
