Alappuzha (Kerala): AICC general secretary K C Venugopal has filed a defamation suit against his BJP opponent Sobha Surendran in the Alappuzha Lok Sabha election.
Surendran accused him of colluding with the mining mafia to amass wealth during a recent TV appearance. Venugopal personally filed the complaint at the Alappuzha South Police station. In response, Surendran welcomed the legal proceedings and maintained that her accusations were supported by evidence she possesses. She reiterated her stance during a press interaction, standing by her claims against the Congress leader.
The Congress party has fielded 16 candidates from Kerala in the Lok Sabha elections, prominent among them being Rahul Gandhi, K C Venugopal and CWC member Shashi Tharoor. The Congress has fielded all the sitting MPs except T N Prathapan in Thrissur, with the hope of replicating its 2019 victory in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
The party-led UDF had won 19 out of 20 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The number decreased to 18 after the Kerala Congress (M), which won the Kottayam seat, switched over to the CPI(M)-led LDF before the 2021 assembly polls. The BJP is yet to open an account in the State.
