Sobha Surendran

Sobha Surendran (born 1974) is an Indian politician from the state of Kerala, allied to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). She is widely recognized for her participation in various social and political issues. Sobha is the first woman politician from Kerala to hold a position at the national level.^[1] She has acted as the state president of BJP Mahila Morcha.Known for her dynamic oratory and grassroots connections, Sobha has increased BJP’s vote share in every election she has contested.^[2][3] She also serves on the board of directors of the Chennai Petroleum Corporation.^[4][5][6]

Sobha Surendran
Vice President of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Kerala
Personal details
Born	5 April 1974 (1974-04-05) (age 50) Thrissur, Kerala, India
Political party	Bharatiya Janata Party
Spouse	Surendran
Children	2
Residence(s)	Thrissur, Kerala
Alma mater	University of Calicut
Occupation	Politician Social worker

Early life

Sobha was born into an agricultural family at Wadakkancherry in Thrissur district of Kerala.^[7][8] She is married to K. K. Surendran, a Bharatiya Janata Party politician from Malappuram.^[9] She lost her father while she was still in school, a challenging experience that significantly shaped her early life. Despite this hardship, she was groomed by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh from the age of 13.^[10]

Political career

Sobha Surendran began her political journey with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after her involvement with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and her activities with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad. She transitioned to become a full-time BJP worker in the early 1990s at a time when the BJP had not yet seen electoral success in Kerala.^[11]

Over her career spanning more than three decades, Sobha has held various positions within BJP, including Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha District Vice President, Yuvamorcha State Vice President, Mahila Morcha State Secretary, Mahila Morcha State President (2010-2016), BJP State Secretary, BJP National Executive Member (2015-2021), BJP State General Secretary (2016-2020), BJP State Vice President (2020-present), and BJP State Core Committee Member* (2016-present).^[12][13]

During her tenure as the State President of Mahila Morcha, Sobha was pivotal in establishing BJP women's wing units across all 140 assembly constituencies in Kerala.^[14] Under her leadership, the organization not only expanded its reach but also gained significant public support, transforming into a formidable advocate for women's rights. Her leadership was marked by grassroots campaigns that addressed various issues faced by women, thereby enhancing her profile and making her a prominent figure in Kerala politics.^[15]

Elections

In 2004 By-Election in Wadakkancherry Assembly Constituency due to resignation of Adv. V Balaram of Indian National Congress, Sobha Surendran contested as BJP candidate against A.C Moideen of CPI(M) and K. Muraleedharan of Indian National Congress and came third with 10,643 votes.

In 2006 Legislative Assembly Election, Sobha contested from Ponnani Assembly constituency against Paloli Mohammedkutty of CPI(M) and M.P Gangadharan of DIC and came third with 13810 votes.

In 2009 By-Election in Ernakulam Assembly Constituency due to resignation of K Sudhakaran, Sobha Surendran contested against Dominic Presentation of Indian National Congress and PN Seenulal of CPI(M) and came third with 7,208 votes.

In 2011 Legislative Assembly Election, Sobha contested from Puthukkad Assembly constituency against C. Raveendranath of CPI(M) and K. P. Vishwanathan of Indian National Congress and came third with 14,425 votes.

In 2014 General Election, Sobha contested the Palakkad constituency and came third against M.B Rajesh of the CPI(M). In 2009 BJP got 68,804 votes and in 2014 BJP got 1,36,587 votes in Palakkad, increasing the BJP's vote percentage by 6.3%.

In 2016 Legislative Assembly Election, there was a close contest and she came second with 40,087 votes.^[16] Sobha, as the party's state general secretary, was then contesting both legislative assembly and general elections on a BJP ticket.

Over the years her election results have been improving the party vote share.^[17]

In 2019 General Election, Sobha contested the Attingal constituency and came third against Adoor Prakash of the Indian National Congress. In 2014 BJP got 92,000 votes and in 2019 BJP got 248,000 votes in Attingal.^[18][19]

In 2021 Legislative Assembly Election, Sobha Surendran contested the Kazhakkoottam constituency in the Thiruvananthapuram district and lost to Kadakampally Surendran CPI(M) candidate.^{[citation needed]}

In 2024 General Election, she contested from Alappuzha constituency and lost. She managed to make Alappuzha an "A-class" constituency for the BJP, increasing the vote share by 11%. She even managed to finish a very close second (less than 2K votes) in 2 assembly segments of the constituency.^{[20] [21]}

Election candidature history

Election	Year	Constituency	Opponent			Result	Margin
Lok Sabha	2014	Palakkad		CPI(M)	M. B. Rajesh	Lost	276,310
	2019	Attingal		INC	Adoor Prakash	Lost	132,914
	2024	Alappuzha		INC	K. C. Venugopal	Lost	104,912
Kerala Legislative Assembly	2004 By-Election	Wadakkanchery		CPI(M)	A. C. Moideen	Lost	46,088 [22]
	2006	Ponnani		CPI(M)	Paloli Mohammed Kutty	Lost	48,208 [23]
	2009 By-Election	Ernakulam		INC	Dominic Presentation	Lost	38,911 [24]
	2011	Puthukkad		CPI(M)	C. Raveendranath	Lost	58,622 [25]
	2016	Palakkad		INC	Shafi Parambil	Lost	17,483 [26]
	2021	Kazhakootam		CPI(M)	Kadakampally Surendran	Lost	23,497[27]

Protests and struggles

Sobha Surendran was one of the key figures arrested by police in the Sabarimala protests.^[28][29][30] She fasted for 48 hours in support of the agitation by PSC job seekers in the PSC rank lists in the Secretariat.^[31][32] Subsequently, Sobha met with the Kerala Governor and received assurances that he would act in favor of the job aspirants.^[33][34][35]

In November 2020, Sobha alleged that the party president, K. Surendran, had organised a political conspiracy against her, both personally and politically, to end her political career.^[36] She wrote a complaint letter to BJP national president JP Nadda and union home minister Amit Shah.^[37]