BJP gave me Rs 2 lakh, a smartphone to withdraw nomination in Manjeshwar: Okay Surendran’s namesake

Express News Service
KASARGOD: The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate in Manjeshwar Okay Sundara — a namesake of BJP state president Okay Surendran, mentioned he withdrew his nomination papers forward of the Assembly election as a result of he was purchased out by the BJP.

Sundara, a poor however fashionable Yakshagana artiste, mentioned the BJP gave him Rs 2 lakh and a smartphone value Rs 15,000 to withdraw his nomination. “They gave me the money and the phone soon after I withdrew my papers,” he mentioned.

The BJP has denied the allegation. “He should be admitted to a mental hospital,” mentioned Satheesh Bhandary, BJP’s North Zone (Kerala) vice-president.

Sundara’s ‘confession’ comes scorching on the heels of an allegation that the BJP paid Rs 10 lakh to tribal chief C Okay Janu of the Janathipathya Rashtriya Party to deliver her again to the NDA fold forward of the Assembly election.

The BJP thought-about Sundara a risk as a result of he had garnered 467 votes within the 2016 Assembly election when Surendran misplaced by 89 votes to IUML’s P B Abdul Razak in the identical constituency.

This yr, the BSP fielded Sundara as a result of he had received extra votes than the get together within the 2016 election. But two days earlier than the deadline to withdraw the nomination on March 22, Sundara had gone incommunicado. The BSP’s district normal secretary Vijayakumar B filed a lacking criticism with Badiadka police on March 21 however the criticism was not registered as a result of Sundara attended the telephone name of the police.

The similar day, an announcement was posted within the BJP’s WhatsApp group for media saying Sundara was withdrawing his nomination papers as a result of he didn’t need to hamper the possibilities of BJP state president Okay Surendran who “valiantly led the Sabarimala protest”.

Even then, when The New Indian Express reached out to Sundara, he had denied the explanation.

The New Indian Express then contacted Sundara on June 5, he mentioned Sabarimala was not a cause for withdrawing his nominations. “I had asked for Rs 15 lakh and a licence to run a wine shop in Karnataka. The party agreed to it if Surendran won. But he lost,” mentioned Sundara.

But the get together gave Rs 2 lakh in money and a Redmi telephone quickly after the nomination papers have been withdrawn, he mentioned.

The BJP had earlier denied the allegation that it had paid Janu Rs 10 lakh. Surendran had advised reporters in Kozhikode that the allegations have been an insult to Janu, a tall tribal chief of Kerala.

Several BJP leaders have been additionally being questioned over a hawala heist, during which in accordance with studies, Rs 3.5 crore of black cash was robbed at Kodakara bridge in Thrissur on April 3. The cash was allegedly meant for the BJP’s electioneering in Kerala. 

“None of these allegations can be proved in court,” mentioned a senior BJP chief within the get together. “But the party has become a subject of ridicule in the state,” he mentioned.