17 sacks of cash; CCTV tampered; ₹25 Cr diverted: Kerala BJP under fire over election fund claims

Thrissur: The Kerala BJP has been hit by fresh allegations from within its ranks after a former office-bearer claimed that nearly ₹25 crore in unaccounted cash was brought to the party's Thrissur district office during the election period and later diverted by senior leaders.

P. Akshay, who served as secretary of the BJP's Thrissur district committee office from November 2025 until July 14, 2026, levelled the allegations at a press conference on Tuesday. He claimed the money arrived in a vehicle bearing a Tamil Nadu registration and was transported in 17 sacks.

According to Akshay, the cash was kept on the second floor of the BJP district committee office and at a house in Gandhinagar. He alleged that the money was separate from the official election funds received by the party.

Allegations over handling of cash and CCTV footage

Akshay claimed the cash reached the district office two days before the election results were announced. He alleged that neither the office secretary nor the treasurer handled the money. Instead, organisational secretary K.P. Suresh, Murali Kolangatt and Murali's driver, Rajesh, were responsible for managing it.

He further alleged that ₹1 crore was later taken from the Gandhinagar house and sent to Tamil Nadu, adding that he was present when the money was moved.

The former office secretary also claimed the office CCTV cameras were switched off when the cash arrived on the instructions of senior leaders. He alleged that the digital video recorder (DVR) containing CCTV footage from the day the election results were declared was removed and replaced after the cash was shifted from the office.

Akshay alleged that K.P. Suresh, Murali Kolangatt and BJP state vice-president K.K. Anish Kumar had detailed knowledge of the alleged cash movement. He claimed he was removed from his post after becoming aware of the developments.

Complaints sent to party leadership

Akshay said he had emailed BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar and also submitted complaints to the party's state and central leadership detailing the alleged cash transaction and financial irregularities.

He alleged that instead of initiating an inquiry, the party leadership acted against those who raised complaints and some workers who questioned the handling of funds.

Claiming he had received threats after making the allegations public, Akshay said K.P. Suresh, advocate K.K. Anish Kumar, advocate K.A. Hari and Sujay Senan should be held responsible if anything happened to him. He also said more evidence relating to the alleged movement and diversion of the cash would be released in the coming days.

Fresh claims add to internal BJP row

The allegations have added to an ongoing internal controversy within the Kerala BJP over the handling of election funds. Former BJP office-bearer Tirur Satheesh has also called for an investigation into the assets and alleged benami holdings of party leaders.

In a Facebook post, Satheesh questioned how some leaders had accumulated wealth despite having no apparent source of regular income. He alleged that election funds reaching party offices were not being distributed to grassroots workers but were instead diverted for personal use. He also claimed earlier complaints over the alleged misuse of election funds had been ignored by the party leadership.