Palakkad cash-for-vote: Investigation intensifies as Collector examines video footage

PALAKKAD: District Collector M.S. Madhavikutty announced that video footage regarding the cash-for-vote complaint against BJP candidate Shobha Surendran has been examined and forwarded to the police for further forensic analysis. While a preliminary report has already been submitted to the Chief Electoral Officer, a more detailed report is expected by the 11th. The Collector clarified that although the woman at the center of the incident stated to the Flying Squad that she did not receive any money, a thorough investigation is still required due to the seriousness of the allegations. Copies of the findings have been provided to both the police and election observers.

The controversy stems from a video released by the Congress party alleging that Shobha Surendran distributed money to influence voters in the Tharuvakurissi area of Kannadi Panchayat on April 8. To support their claim, the Congress identified the woman seen with the candidate as Simi Rajeev, a Malayali from Mumbai. They released several photographs as evidence, including images of her with Shobha Surendran and Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan at the BJP district committee office, as well as pictures of the two shaking hands. Local Congress activists further claim that Simi has been present in Palakkad throughout the campaign and participated in the Kalashakottu.

Shobha Surendran has dismissed the allegations as a pre-planned script and an attempt to hunt her down. She maintained that she does not know the woman in question and stated that the individual was never in her car. Surendran explained that she only stopped her vehicle because a group had been following her, and she expressed her intention to file a formal police complaint regarding the incident. She also pointed out that the face of the person in the footage is not clear enough for a definitive identification.