Sobha Surendran, born in 1974 in Thrissur district, Kerala, has been nominated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to contest from the Palakkad constituency, a seat held by the Indian National Congress since 2011. As voting took place on April 9, Surendran found herself at the center of a cash-for-vote controversy, with Congress party members alleging that BJP workers were distributing money to sway voters in Tharuvakurissi and Kannadi panchayats. Videos surfaced showing a woman exiting Surendran's vehicle and allegedly handing cash to an elderly resident, while Surendran was seen confronting individuals recording the incident. Surendran's political career began at 13, and she has held various roles within the BJP, including state president of the Mahila Morcha (women's wing) from 2010 to 2016, where she established women's units in all Assembly constituencies. Her electoral history includes a second-place finish in the 2016 Assembly elections from Palakkad and a candidacy in Kazhakkoottam in 2021, where she lost to a CPI(M) candidate. Married to fellow BJP politician KK Surendran, they have two children.