Delhi: SNDP General Secretary Vellappally Natesan faced a major setback after publicly declaring that NDA candidate Suresh Gopi would not win in Thrissur. He had challenged that the BJP would not open an account anywhere in Kerala and that it was merely a dream. He predicted Sobha Surendran’s victory in Alappuzha and Suresh Gopi’s defeat in Thrissur. However, when the Lok Sabha election results were announced, Suresh Gopi’s victory shocked all of Kerala.
The NDA’s votes may have increased in Kerala. As both the LDF and UDF compete for minority appeasement, some of the majority population might side with the NDA. Suresh Gopi is not a politician, he is a film actor. due to his lack of political strategy and leadership, which caused issues in Thrissur, Vellappally criticized. Furthermore, he predicted a tough competition in Alappuzha, asserting that Sobha Surendran would certainly win. Suresh Gopi’s win in Thrissur, securing 412,338 votes, was a significant comeback response to the criticisms and predictions.
Meanwhile, Vellappally’s remarks had already sparked controversy before the election. He claimed that it was Suresh Gopi himself who informed him that he would lose in Thrissur. Suresh Gopi had told him during a visit to his house that he was not a politician but a film actor and would proceed without looking sideways, indicating that conflicts could arise if anyone misled him, affecting his work. Vellappally later interpreted this as a pre-emptive defense by Suresh Gopi, adding that his statement about Suresh Gopi’s predicted loss was based on what Suresh Gopi himself had conveyed to him.
A section within the BJP believes that Vellappally’s statement has harmed the party. They assess that Vellappally’s assertion that Suresh Gopi would lose significantly impacted the majority vote. The BJP states that all of Vellappally’s criticisms have only benefited the Left. Protests against Vellappally are growing stronger within the NDA.
