4 min readPalakkadApr 7, 2026 07:20 AM IST
First published on: Apr 7, 2026 at 07:20 AM IST
Sobha Surendran is trying to do this time what “Metro Man” E Sreedharan nearly did in 2021 – break the jinx for the BJP in the Palakkad seat. A presence in the region even in its erstwhile avatar as the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the BJP missed that race by a whisker.
The mobility wizard’s electoral debut in the previous election got global attention. As the campaign peaked, Sreedharan suddenly sensed that local cylinders weren’t firing. At his poll rally led by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the candidate was seen trying hard to impress the constituency and the cadre. He recalled his school and college days in this old municipal town and his early admiration for the RSS’ social service. That was too much too late.
Cut to 2026, with Kerala headed to the Assembly polls on April 9. Hardcore political, the BJP’s prominent woman leader is taking no chances with her party’s foot soldiers in Palakkad. At a convention of party workers, Sobha seems to know by name quite a few in the packed audience. This should help in an election where every wandering vote must be mobilised.
As a seasoned third party, the BJP in Kerala is long used to match the first two — the CPI(M) and the Congress — in campaignspeak, from development to vote bank incentives. Sobha cannot play the BJP’s unique double engine card convincingly in the state. She comes up with the next best Delhi link. “PM Modi came all the way and addressed you. He will personally monitor Palakkad’s progress,” she tells the gatherings. She waves a sheaf of papers listing prime ministerial guarantees and returns to the immediate task — motivating her party’s faction-ridden district unit.
Welfarist agenda is taken as read at the rival Congress’s campaign as well. Core votes seem set. This time swing votes are a bigger challenge for the party which has to contain the impact of the sexual harassment charges levelled against its sitting MLA Rahul Mamkootathil, whom the party has expelled.
The Congress’s current candidate Ramesh Pisharody, a film-and-TV celebrity, has to underline his personal acceptance in his poll debut. Early evening you see him sipping coffee at a new eatery in the middle of town, and posing for serial selfies with its typically Gen Z patrons. If selfies convert to votes, he has won. Later in the evening, during his roadshow, he is eloquent before the TV cameras. He knows how to entertain living room and online audiences.
Out in the sun, under the makeshift roof of the tallish campaign wagon, however, Pisharody puts up a mostly muted appearance. You see him back in his elements the next evening at the Congress-led UDF’s public meeting. He regales the crowd with a witty speech which ends abruptly: “I’ve been on my feet for 22 hours without a break.” Next 24 hours will be no less hectic. Rahul Gandhi is here to campaign.
The third major contestant N M R Razak, backed by CPI(M), has no Delhi star to show off. Not even the star that goes with the hammer and sickle. This hotelier known for the popular NMR Biriyani brand, is in the race as an Independent with a symbol, which could be perhaps more appropriate for a jeweller – the ring. The ruling party tried out such a limited liability partnership in the 2024 Assembly by-election here, when the LDF’s nominee came third. This time there is a “silent surge”, claims an insider. If so, Razak may be wearing a lucky ring.
Kerala is headed to the Assembly polls on April 9. 
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