CPM leader’s daughter joins BJP, set to contest from Varkala seat

In a setback for the CPM just ahead of the Kerala Assembly elections, Varkala Area Committee member and Varkala Block Panchayat member Smitha Sunderesan joined the BJP on Sunday.

Smitha, the daughter of former CPM leader Sundaresan, is also a former Varkala Block President. She joined the BJP after resigning from her post as Block Panchayat member.

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BJP state president Rajiv Chandrasekhar welcomed her into the party fold with a shawl at a function held at the BJP headquarters here on Sunday.

Smitha Sunderesan will be the NDA candidate from the Varkala constituency. With her induction, the BJP has taken over the Varkala seat, which was initially allotted to the BDJS, a constituent of the NDA.

Speaking to the media after joining the BJP, Smitha said that the reason for leaving the CPM was the “devaluation” of the party. She alleged that nepotism is prevalent in the CPM and that the party is in the process of abandoning its organisational principles.

She further said that personal and selfish interests now dominate the CPM, and that she joined the BJP because she was attracted by the development taking place in the country under Prime Minister Modi.

It is being seen as a significant political gain for the BJP, as it has managed to bring in the daughter of a senior CPM leader from a constituency where former CPM Thiruvananthapuram district secretary V Joy is contesting in the Assembly polls.