K Surendran, the BJP state chief and NDA candidate challenging Congress MP Rahul Gandhi in the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, faces a staggering 242 criminal cases.
In compliance with legal obligations, Surendran recently disclosed the specifics of his cases in the party's official publication, spanning three full pages.
Likewise, K S Radhakrishnan, the BJP's candidate for the Ernakulam constituency, is confronted with approximately 211 cases against him.
"Most of the cases are related to the Sabarimala protests, which were held in 2018. Most of the cases are in court. When party leaders call for a strike or a protest, the police register a case in connection with that," George Kurian, the state general secretary of the BJP, told PTI.
He said publishing the details of the cases against the candidates is mandatory.
On Friday, BJP national general secretary B L Santhosh took to Twitter to share the legal records of Surendran, Radhakrishnan, Shobha Surendran (the party's Alappuzha candidate), and Praful Krishna (the Vatakara candidate). He said it was "hard to be a nationalist in some parts of Bharath."
"It’s hard to be a nationalist in some parts of Bharath. It's an everyday struggle. But it's worth the struggle. Form C7 of Sri @surendranbjp, WAYANAD candidate. One person…Hundreds of cases," Santhosh posted on X.
Breaking down the number of cases against the BJP state chief, Kurian revealed that 237 cases stemmed from the Sabarimala protests, while five were linked to various demonstrations across Kerala.
In 2018, the BJP and its affiliated parties orchestrated statewide protests against the Kerala government's decision to enforce the Supreme Court's ruling on women's entry to the Sabarimala shrine in Pathanamthitta district.
Details of cases against other party candidates are yet to be disclosed.
The deadline for filing nominations for the Lok Sabha elections is April 4. The scrutiny of nominations will take place on April 5, with the last withdrawal date set for April 8.
Thus far, the Election Commission has received 18 nominations. Notable figures who have filed their nominations include Left candidate M Mukesh from Kollam and BJP candidate Ashwini M L from Kasaragod.
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