Kerala BJP leader Sandeep Varier joins Congress | India News – Times of India

PALAKKAD: Prior to November 20 Palakkad Assembly bypolldissident KeralaBJP leader Sandeep G Varier joined Congress on Saturday. Congress leaders, including KPCC chief K Sudhakaran and opposition leader VD Satheesan, welcomed him by draping shawls at the grand old party’s office here.
“I am joining the shop of love,” Sandeep told reporters at a press conference along with Congress leaders here.
He said the mistake he made was expecting support and love from an organization that has consistently harbored nothing but hate.
He alleged that BJP state president K Surendran was the reason behind his exit from the saffron party.
“K Surendran and his team are the only reason I joined Congress,” he said.
He said he left the party as he was frustrated with the constant compromises between the BJP leadership and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
He further stated that the BJP had abandoned him because he opposed the Karuvannur Cooperative Bank scam.
Congress’s idea is India’s idea, he added.
The BJP came second in Palakkad in the 2021 and 2016 assembly elections. In 2021, ‘Metro man’ E Sreedharan, who was the BJP candidate, lost to Congress MP Shafi Parambil by just 3,859 votes.
Meanwhile, BJP state president K Surendran responded that Varier’s departure would not have any impact on the party.
Earlier this month, Varier announced his decision not to campaign for BJP candidate C Krishnakumar.
Varier raised a protest flag, stating that he felt “humiliated” and consistently ignored by the party, even during campaign events for the midterm elections.
The Election Commission has postponed the Palakkad Assembly poll from November 13 to November 20, citing the Kalpathi Ratholsavam festival.
The bypoll was necessitated after the Congress MLA of the constituency, Shafi Parambil, was elected to the Lok Sabha from Vadakara constituency.