BJP Fields Sobha Surendran From Alappuzha Lok Sabha Constituency (image@BJPSobha)

Alappuzha is considered to be on the national spotlight of the upcoming Lok Sabha election. Major parties of the state are fielding heavy weights to manoeuvre their way to yield power. BJP has given ticket to Sobha Surendran, a known name in Kerala Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Sobha is the first woman politician from Kerala BJP to hold position at national level. She served as the state president of Mahila Morcha, woman’s wing of BJP, and serves on the board of directors of the Chennai Petroleum Corporation.

Sobha sparked controversy among the party itself with her remarks on welcoming Muslim League into the BJP led NDA (National Democratic Alliance). This has caused confusion among the party. Her reluctance to take up the post of state vice-president also triggered controversies within the party. Before given the charge of vice-president, she served as state general secretary of BJP.

Sobha Surendran stepped into the election arena in 2016, during which she contested from Palakkad for both legislative assembly seat and Lok Sabha seat. She lost to Indian National Congress’ Shafi Parambil, with a margin of 17,483 votes. She came second in that election. In 2019, she contested from Attingal. She lost the seat to Congress’ Adoor Prakash, with a margin of 132, 914 votes. Reportedly, Sobha’s election results have been improving the party’s vote share over the years. While BJP got 92000 votes in 2014, it rose to 248000 votes in Attingal. In 2021 Assembly election, she contested from Kazhakkottam constituency if Thiruvananthapuram, from where she lost to CPI(M)’s Kadakmpally Surendran. In the upcoming Lok Sabha election, Sobha Surendran is contesting from Allappuzha, hoping to strike a win this time.

She has been fielded against two heavyweight candidates in Alappuzha; one, Congress’ general secretary in charge of organisation and former MP from here, KC Venugopal and AM Ariff, the lone CPM MP from Kerala in the current Lok Sabha.