Controversies and accusations takes centre stage with public campaign of LS polls culminating on Wednesday

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the public campaign of the Lok Sabha elections, to be held in Kerala on Friday, culminating at 6 pm today, controversies and accusations are rife.

Controversial broker Nandakumar on Tuesday alleged that Alappuzha's NDA candidate Sobha Surendran had received Rs 10 lakh. Sobha Surendran admitted that she took the money as advance to sell her land in Thrissur. At the same time, the controversy intensified when she revealed that Nandakumar had betrayed her and approached her and the central leadership regarding a CPM leader in Kannur, as prominent as Pinarayi Vijayan, joining the BJP.

Nandakumar also released some documents in Delhi yesterday labeled as proof of allegations that Anil Antony took a bribe of Rs 25 lakh for an appointment linked to the Defense Ministry when his father and Congress leader AK Antony was the Union Defense Minister. Anil Antony, the BJP candidate from Pathanamthitta, responded that the Congress conspiracy against him was behind this.

UDF's Vadakara candidate Shafi Parambil's lawyer's notice demanded that LDF candidate KK Shailaja, who went back on allegations of spreading an obscene video against her, should apologize.

CPM MLA PV Anvar's comment that Rahul Gandhi should do a DNA test regarding his query why the ED did not send Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to jail became another controversy. The Congress protested strongly and is planning to file a complaint with the Election Commission. The Congress also accused the Chief Minister of justifying Anvar's derogatory remarks.

The Chief Minister had said that it is a reminder to Rahul Gandhi that he will get the response in the same manner. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who created a controversy on Monday by saying that if the Congress comes to power, the country's wealth will be given to Muslims, later softened his stance a little, but yesterday he repeated the statement.

Meanwhile, there are reports that the Lt. Governor of Delhi will visit the state today to visit the leaders of the Christian Church.

Claim

UDF claims they will win all 20 seats and LDF claims to win 18 seats as in 2004. BJP's claim is that it can get up to five seats.