The BJP ran into cash-for-vote and sari bribery allegations on the eve of the Kerala Assembly elections.

Unlike the cash-for-vote and gift culture in north India and in some southern states such as Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, this practice had been alien to Kerala.

The Congress unit in Palakkad came out with a video of a woman giving ₹5,000 to Devu, 65, a cancer patient. Sobha Surendran, the firebrand BJP leader contesting from Palakkad, is seen with the women bribing the ailing lady.

Surendran, who has fought elections unsuccessfully for a record nine times, denied bribing the voter. But Rathan U. Khelkar, chief electoral officer of Kerala, sought a detailed report from the Palakkad district collector.

He informed the media that appropriate action would be taken on the cash-for-vote allegation.

“The patient has denied getting a bribe. A detailed probe is required and I’ve asked for a report by Saturday. After examining all the aspects of the report filed by the district collector, we will take appropriate action. I have also spoken to Sobha Surendran,” said Khelkar.

Surendran told the media in Palakkad minutes after the purported bribe video surfaced: “The footage has not clearly established identities, the faces were not visible
and there is no proof linking the individuals in the video to the BJP. This is nothing
but a fabricated narrative built on visuals that lack clarity. There is no evidence of BJP workers distributing money.”

In two separate incidents, BJP activists were caught distributing saris and food kits to voters in Palakkad and Thrissur.