Sandeep Varier visits influential Samastha leader on Palakkad bypoll day

As the voting for the crucial assembly by-poll is underway in Palakkad, former BJP leader Sandeep Varier, who recently joined the Congress party, called on prominent Islamic scholar and Samastha leader Syed Jifri Muthukoya Thangal at his house here on Wednesday.

Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama, popularly known as Samastha, is an apex body of Sunni scholars in the state.

Though Varier termed it as a "courtesy call", it assumes great significance as it came a day after two Malayalam newspapers, the mouthpieces of two prominent factions of the Samastha, published CPI (M)-sponsored advertisements against him.

The paid advertisements featured Varier's alleged old social media posts, sparking a huge political controversy in the state on the eve of Palakkad by-election.