In a significant political shift ahead of the Palakkad assembly by-election, BJP leader G Sandeep Varier joined the Congress on Saturday. Sandeep, who previously served as a BJP spokesperson and a member of the state committee, had publicly revolted against his party earlier this month by refusing to campaign for BJP candidate C Krishnakumar in the by-election.

Sandeep was formally inducted into the Congress at the party’s district committee office in Palakkad. The event was attended by Congress state president K Sudhakaran and Opposition leader V D Satheesan. Addressing the media, Sandeep declared his departure from the Sangh Parivar ideology.

“I’m a Congress worker. I’m happy that I have left the market of hate and have joined the politics of love. I’m fed up with the CPI(M)-BJP deal in politics,” he said. Reflecting on his time with the BJP, Sandeep added, “I’ve felt suffocated in the BJP. Party state president K Surendran is responsible for my decision to quit BJP. My mistake was that I opposed the BJP deal with CPI(M) in Kerala. My drawback was that I was not in the call list of Dharmarajan,” referring to a BJP leader accused of involvement in a controversial election fund case from 2021.

Reacting to Sandeep’s exit, BJP state president K Surendran downplayed its significance. “This will not impact the party in Kerala. Congress will get defeated in this by-election. This is part of a scripted drama,” he stated.

The Palakkad by-election, scheduled for November 20, holds strategic importance for the BJP, which had finished as the runner-up in the 2016 and 2021 elections. Sandeep, who contested the 2021 assembly elections from Shornur in Palakkad district, had distanced himself from the BJP’s current campaign after being denied a ticket from Palakkad. His dissatisfaction reportedly began after the party chose another candidate over him despite his contributions, including leading the BJP’s campaign in Wayanad during Rahul Gandhi’s Lok Sabha bid.

Efforts by senior RSS leaders to persuade Sandeep to reconsider his stance failed, even as CPI(M) leaders expressed willingness to welcome him into their fold if he abandoned the Sangh Parivar ideology. Notably, CPI(M) has fielded Dr. P Sarin, a former Congress leader, as its candidate for the by-election.

The Congress, meanwhile, has nominated Youth Congress state president Rahul Mamkoottathil as its candidate. However, the decision has triggered discontent within the party, with several local Congress leaders leaving after Rahul’s candidacy was announced.

The BJP enters the by-election with increased confidence following its historic victory in the Thrissur Lok Sabha seat earlier this year, despite internal challenges such as Sandeep’s defection potentially complicating its campaign.