Palakkad: A flex banner welcoming BJP leader Sobha Surendran, whose name was also doing the rounds as the bypoll candidate from the constituency, was set on fire in Palakkad. 

The incident occurred on Sunday night, prior to the announcement of the BJP candidate, with the flex displayed in front of the municipal office set ablaze. Following the incident, the flex has been removed.

There have been previous reports of organisational issues within the BJP, and questions are being raised about whether the conflict between the Sobha Surendran faction and the C Krishnakumar faction led to this incident. It remains unclear who was responsible for the burning.

Meanwhile, C Krishnakumar, the BJP candidate in Palakkad, described Sobha Surendran as the party's top female leader and referred to her as Kerala's "firebrand”. He stated in an interview with Mathrubhumi.com that there are no factions within the party regarding the candidacy. He suggested that the situation is merely the result of campaigning by the other two fronts and added that Sobha Surendran will be coming to support his campaign.