Dissident BJP leader Sandeep Varier joins Congress ahead of Palakkad bypoll in Kerala
Palakkad: Dissident BJP leader Sandeep G Varier joined the Congress party on Saturday, ahead of the Palakkad Assembly bypoll scheduled for November 20. He was welcomed by Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K Sudhakaran and Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan at the Congress office in Palakkad.
Speaking at a press conference, Varier criticised the BJP's state leadership, accusing state president K Surendran of being responsible for his exit. He expressed disappointment with the BJP’s functioning, stating, "The mistake I made was expecting support and love from an organisation that has consistently fostered only hate."
Varier alleged that the BJP leadership had compromised with the ruling CPI(M) government, particularly Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and claimed he was sidelined for opposing the Karuvannur co-operative bank scam.
Labelling the Congress as "the shop of love," Varier highlighted his disillusionment with the BJP and affirmed his alignment with the Congress's ideology, calling it "the idea of India."
The BJP, which had finished second in Palakkad in the 2016 and 2021 Assembly elections, dismissed the impact of Varier's defection. State president K Surendran stated that his departure would not affect the party.
The Palakkad bypoll, initially scheduled for November 13, was postponed to November 20 due to the Kalpathi Ratholsavam festival. The election was necessitated after Congress MLA Shafi Parambil vacated the seat upon his election to the Lok Sabha from the Vadakara constituency.
In the 2021 election, BJP’s candidate, ‘Metro Man’ E Sreedharan, narrowly lost to Shafi Parambil by 3,859 votes. The upcoming bypoll is expected to be closely contested.
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Barber held for beating man to death over 'bidi' in east Delhi
New Delhi (PTI): A 32-year-old barber was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly beating a man to death following an altercation over a 'bidi' in east Delhi's Pandav Nagar area, police said.
A call regarding the incident that occurred near the bus stand road in Shashi Garden was received at 1.24 am, they said.
The victim was identified as Deepak (28), while the accused was Manoj, he added.
According to the police, during an argument, the accused picked up a wooden stick lying nearby and struck the victim repeatedly on the head. Multiple injuries and bruise marks were also found on the victim's forehead.
"Deepak was taken to Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital, but doctors declared him brought dead," an officer said.
An FIR has been registered and further investigation is underway, the officer added.
