Kerala: BJP leader Sandeep Varier joins Congress
He had also held talks with the CPI(M), but did not agree to the party’s conditions
Ahead of the November 20 Palakkad Assembly bypoll, dissident Kerala BJP leader Sandeep G Varier on Saturday (November 16) joined the Congress.
Congress leaders including KPCC chief K Sudhakaran and Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan welcomed him by draping shawls on him at the grand old party's office in Palakkad.
Also Read: Ahead of Palakkad bypoll battle, young leader’s revolt jolts BJP
"I am taking a membership in the shop of love," Sandeep told reporters at a press conference along with Congress leaders at Palakkad.
Blames BJP state president K Surendran for his exit
He said that the mistake he made was expecting support and love from an organisation that has consistently fostered only hate. He claimed that BJP state president K Surendran was the reason behind his exit from the saffron party.
"K Surendran and his team are the sole reason I joined Congress", he said.
He said that he left the party because he was frustrated with the constant compromises between the BJP leadership and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Also Read: Kerala: Congress targets CPM, Palakkad candidate Sarin after Jayarajan book leak
He further stated that the BJP abandoned him for opposing the Karuvannur co-operative bank scam.
“The idea of Congress is the idea of India,” he added.
The BJP came second at Palakkad in the 2021 and 2016 assembly elections. In 2021 “Metro man” E Sreedharan, who was the BJP candidate, lost to Congress's Shafi Parambil by only 3,859 votes.
Varier’s exit will not have any impact on BJP: Surendran
Meanwhile, BJP state president K Surendran responded that Varier's exit would not make any impact on the party.
Earlier this month, Varier announced his decision not to campaign for BJP candidate, C Krishnakumar.
Varier raised a banner of protest, stating that he felt "humiliated" and consistently ignored by the party, even in campaign events for the by-election.
Also Read: Who will clinch Palakkad? LDF, UDF, BJP clash in heated assembly bypoll
The Election Commission postponed the Palakkad Assembly bypoll from November 13 to November 20, citing the Kalpathi Ratholsavam festival.
The bypoll was necessitated after the Congress MLA of the constituency, Shafi Parambil, got elected to the Lok Sabha from the Vadakara constituency.
(With agency inputs)