Left, Congress claim massive voter scam in Kerala's Thrissur Lok Sabha seat

Thrissur, Aug 12 (IANS) The ruling Left parties -- CPI(M) and the CPI -- and the Congress party on Tuesday stepped up their attack on the issue of the alleged voter roll scam in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

The parties are alleging fraud in the Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency, where the BJP won in 2024.

State Education Minister V. Sivankutty demanded a re-election to the Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency in the wake of the allegations.

The BJP candidate Suresh Gopi won with a margin of over 70,000 votes in an erstwhile strong Congress constituency, whose candidate was the sitting MP.

The Congress candidate finished third, while former State Minister and CPI leader V.S. Sunil Kumar came second.

Sunil Kumar on Tuesday alleged that the votes of BJP leaders from outside the district were added to the rolls.

“K.R. Shaji, a resident of Nadathara in Varavoor panchayat, and his family had been improperly included in the Thrissur constituency voter list. Shaji, according to Sunil Kumar, is a permanent resident of Chelakkara constituency and continues to live with his family in Nadathara. His wife and mother are registered voters there, and they cast their ballots in the panchayat elections at Varavoor,” said Sunil Kumar.

However, Sunil Kumar alleged that in 2024, their names were added to the Poongunnam polling station in Thrissur.

Specifically, he claimed they were listed under flat numbers 1119 and 1121 in the Inland Flats building.

“If this is the case, it means thousands of outsiders could have been brought in by the BJP,” he said, calling it a grave manipulation of the electoral process.

Meanwhile, Congress leaders have also come forward with allegations of voter list fraud in Thrissur.

Former councillor Valsala Baburaj claimed that 79 people were irregularly added to the rolls from a single apartment complex -- Shankarankulangara Flats in Poongunnam. She further alleged that 38 more names were improperly included from the nearby Water Lily Flats.

According to Valsala, Congress booth agents lodged complaints with the District Collector, following which the authorities blocked these voters from casting ballots.

“Out of these, only one person managed to vote,” said Valsala.

The revelations have triggered political uproar in the district, with both CPI and Congress accusing the BJP of orchestrating voter list tampering to gain an unfair advantage in elections.

Election authorities are yet to officially respond to the allegations, but the matter is expected to fuel further political confrontation as parties demand a thorough investigation into the alleged manipulation of Thrissur’s electoral rolls.

--IANS

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