Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 13 (PTI) Kerala BJP President Rajeev Chandrasekhar emphasized on Wednesday that any alleged illegality regarding a candidate's election during polls should be addressed to the Election Commission or through the courts, rather than disseminating misinformation to mislead and incite the public.
Chandrasekhar's remarks were in response to allegations from the Congress and CPI that Union Minister of State Suresh Gopi filed a false declaration during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, leading to his victory in the Thrissur constituency through alleged voter list manipulation.
The Congress recently alleged that the Union Minister of State for Petroleum, Natural Gas, and Tourism submitted false information to be included in the voters' list for Thrissur.
The party filed a police complaint seeking a criminal case against the minister.
CPI leader V S Sunil Kumar had earlier alleged electoral roll manipulation was a crucial factor in Gopi's significant victory margin of over 74,000 votes against him and Congress candidate K Muraleedharan in a tightly contested three-way race.
Chandrasekhar questioned the credibility of these claims, stating they surfaced 18 months after Gopi's Lok Sabha election victory.
He asserted such matters should be presented to the Election Commission or the courts through formal complaints or election petitions.
"They do not do that," he stated.
"Instead, they seek to provoke the public with false claims or distract them through propaganda.
It is all theatrics," he alleged.
He further charged that such plays are orchestrated by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan with approaching elections on the horizon.
Meanwhile, Suresh Gopi visited Thrissur, where he met a BJP worker injured in a protest on Tuesday. The minister avoided media queries about the allegations, simply thanking individuals at the hospital without specifying who he was referring to.
On Tuesday, General Education Minister V Sivankutty called on the Election Commission of India (ECI) to conduct a re-election in the Thrissur constituency due to alleged large-scale voter list manipulation.
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