Palakkad news: Tensions ran high in Palakkad during the early hours of Wednesday as police conducted a midnight raid at a local hotel, suspecting black money may have been brought in to sway the upcoming by-election in the Palakkad Assembly constituency. The search involved several rooms, including those occupied by prominent Congress figures Bindu Krishna and Shanimol Usman.
When officers attempted to enter the room of a female leader without female officers present, objections were raised, leading Congress supporters to gather in protest at the hotel, as per a report on PTI. Police officials later clarified that the operation covered 12 rooms, occupied by leaders from multiple political parties, and stated, “It was a routine search. Nothing was found in the rooms.”
The police confirmed that similar checks are ongoing in hotels and lodges across the area to prevent any election-related misconduct ahead of the November 20 by-election. Congress leaders and Lok Sabha MPs VK Sreekandan and Shafi Parambil expressed concerns over what they viewed as targeted actions against Congress representatives and announced plans for a protest march to the district police chief’s office.
The incident drew responses from leaders across the political spectrum with representatives from the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) and BJP arriving at the scene. LDF leaders called for a review of all hotel rooms and access to CCTV footage to maintain transparency.
In a dramatic turn, UDF candidate Rahul Mankootathil took to Facebook Live early Wednesday to address the allegations, appearing live from the Kozhikode Town Station around 2:30 AM to clarify that he was in Kozhikode, not Palakkad, and denied involvement in any black money dealings, as reported by On Manorama.
This heightened tension comes as the Election Commission recently rescheduled the Palakkad Assembly by-election to November 20, moving it from November 13 to avoid clashes with the Kalpathi Ratholsavam festival.