Kochi: In a major setback for the Twenty20 party, two celebrity candidates have been disqualified from contesting the upcoming elections. Following the controversy surrounding Lakshmi Priya, it has now been revealed that Veena Nair, the party's announced candidate for the Ettumanoor constituency, is not registered on the electoral roll.

The party is now reportedly scrambled to find a replacement for her candidacy. This development follows a similar embarrassment in the Perumbavoor constituency, where candidate Lakshmi Priya was found ineligible to contest for the same reason.

The recurring oversight has dealt a severe blow to Twenty20’s strategy of fielding television and Bigg Boss stars to capture key constituencies.

The internal lapse became painfully public recently during a scheduled roadshow in Perumbavoor. The event was cancelled at the last minute when it was discovered that Lakshmi Priya’s name was missing from the voter list, even as Union Minister Bhupathi Raju Srinivasa Varma arrived to lead the campaign. Consequently, the roadshow was downgraded to a simple foot march (Padayatra) in the candidate's absence.

The Twenty20 party, founded by businessman Sabu M Jacob, has fielded actor Anjali in the Thripunithura constituency, where her campaign is already underway.