Several BJP candidates contesting the Kerala Assembly elections are under scrutiny as their nomination papers reveal pending criminal cases and details of their declared assets.
BJP leader K Surendran, who is contesting from the Manjeshwar constituency in the April 9 Kerala Assembly polls, has 242 pending criminal cases against him, according to his nomination papers filed on Saturday.
According to the affidavit submitted along with his nomination papers, most of the 242 cases against Surendran are for leading or being part of various protests and agitations.
In his affidavit, he has also declared assets, both movable and immovable, worth over Rs 28 lakh and liabilities of more than Rs nine lakh.
His party colleague and Union Minister of State George Kurian, who is contesting from the Kanjirappally seat, has only one pending criminal case against him for leading a protest in Thiruvananthapuram in 2014.
Kurian, in his affidavit, has declared assets, both movable and immovable, of over Rs 1.74 crore and liabilities of close to Rs two lakhs.
Former Union Minister of State V Muraleedharan, who is contesting from Kazhakootam constituency, is facing eight criminal cases for being part of various protests and agitations.
He has declared movable assets of over Rs 20 lakh and has claimed that he has no immovable property, according to his affidavit.
BJP leader Sobha Surendran, who is contesting from the Palakkad constituency, has 35 criminal cases pending against her, majority of them for leading and being part of various protests and agitations.
She has declared assets, both movable and immovable, worth over Rs 1.94 crore in her affidavit.
BJP councillor and former DGP R Sreelekha, who is contesting from Vattiyoorkavu constituency, in her affidavit has declared assets, both movable and immovable, of over Rs five crore.
She has one criminal case against her, lodged this year, for allegedly disclosing the identity of a POCSO case victim, according to her affidavit.
She has denied the allegation and has moved the Kerala High Court to quash the FIR.