Kerala Assembly Elections 2026: Cash-for-votes storm dims Sobha Surendran’s sheen

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) candidate in Palakkad Assembly constituency, Sobha Surendran, saw her carefully amplified public image take a severe beating in the final hours leading up to polling, following cash-for-votes allegations that surfaced against her campaign.

For the BJP, a campaign that began on a high-voltage note, aggressively reaching out to voters even before rival fronts had finalised their candidates, ended up on the defensive against serious cash-for-votes allegations raised by the United Democratic Front (UDF). If proven, the charges could end Ms. Surendran’s Assembly ambitions.