Anand K. Thampi, an RSS activist from Trikkannapuram in Thiruvananthapuram, died by suicide on Saturday after allegedly being denied a BJP ticket for the upcoming local body elections. Police said he was found in a shed behind his house with a distress message sent moments earlier to close friends, who rushed him to a hospital but were unable to save his life.
According to investigators, Anand had been deeply upset after discovering that his name did not appear on the BJP’s candidate list for the Trikkannapuram ward, where he had hoped to contest. Shortly afterward, he announced on social media that he would run as an independent. Police said this decision appears to have intensified tensions with some local workers and also led to several friends distancing themselves from him, which reportedly added to his distress.
Anand also sent a WhatsApp message earlier in the day, alleging harassment by BJP and RSS members and expressing his intention to end his life. He wrote that he had long expressed interest in standing for the election, but local interests connected to sand-smuggling or land-related mafia influenced candidate selection. In the message, he claimed that after he declared he would run independently, he faced pressure and humiliation from people he had known within the organisations.
A handwritten suicide note recovered from his residence echoed the same allegations. He wrote that "a land mafia gang" had taken control of the local BJP–RSS network, accused the party of nominating a candidate he viewed as linked to those interests, and stated that the mental pressure he faced as a worker had brought him “to the point of suicide.” He also requested that BJP and RSS workers should not be present near his body, adding that he hoped no one else would suffer what he had endured.
Local BJP leaders denied his claims, stating that Anand had not formally approached them for a ticket and that his name was never part of the ward-level shortlist. State BJP President Rajeev Chandrasekhar said the party would look into the matter and examine the allegations. District leaders said they would verify the statements made in the suicide note.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena leaders claimed that Anand had contacted them after being denied a BJP ticket. They said he met party representatives on Friday evening and had agreed to join the Shiv Sena. According to them, he had even begun campaigning under their banner on Saturday morning.
Police have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident. A case will be registered after statements from relatives and others close to the deceased are recorded.
