As Kerala votes, Left leader says he met BJP leader, sparks Opposition outcry

CPI(M) leader and convenor of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) EP Jayarajan confirmed on Friday that he met BJP's Kerala-in-charge Prakash Javadekar. His confirmation came on a day when voting was held for all 20 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala.

Jayarajan's meeting with Javadekar comes amid allegations by opponents that he will join the BJP.

Two days ago, BJP leader Sobha Surendran had alleged that a middleman tried to help a top CPI(M) leader who wanted to join the party. On Thursday, she claimed that the leader was EP Jayarajan.

However, the CPI(M) leader said that he informed Javadekar that he was not interested in talking about politics and it was a "regular meeting" between them.

"I am the LDF convenor. Many people come to meet me. Top leaders of Congress and BJP have all come to meet me," said Jayarajan after casting his vote on Friday.

Meanwhile, Congress hit out at CPI(M) and alleged that there was an 'unholy nexus' between the party and the BJP.

"EP Jayarajan met Prakash Javadekar with the knowledge of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Whatever we have said earlier is true," said VD Satheesan, the Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly. He questioned why the CPI(M) leader met the BJP leader.