Wayanad (Kerala) | Congress leader and former minister P K Jayalakshmi on Tuesday raised serious allegations against a section of local leaders of her own party and said that she was defeated in previous elections due to sabotage by them.

Speaking at a United Democratic Front (UDF) convention held at Vellamunda here ahead of the April 9 Assembly polls, Jayalakshmi claimed that a section of party leaders had worked against her in the Mananthavady constituency in both the 2016 and 2021 Assembly elections.

She said that she was unable to identify the alleged conspiracy at the time, adding that some leaders deliberately weakened her campaign.

"Bundles of posters were dumped into rivers, leaders failed to carry out vehicle campaigns, and some even went door-to-door asking people not to vote for me," she alleged, urging that such actions should not be repeated this time.

Jayalakshmi further stated that a group within the Congress had conspired against her candidature when she contested from Mananthavady as a UDF candidate.

Her remarks came amid reports of renewed factional tensions within the Congress in Wayanad district.

Jayalakshmi had served as the Backward Welfare Minister in the Oommen Chandy government. She was defeated in Mananthavady in both 2016 and 2021 by LDF candidate and present minister O R Kelu.

The UDF has fielded Usha Vijayan as its candidate in Mananthavady for the upcoming election.