60,000 Fake Votes Helped Minister Suresh Gopi Register Win: Kerala Minister

Kerala's General Education Minister V Sivankutty has called for a re-election in Thrissur due to allegations of significant voter list manipulation. The BJP's Suresh Gopi won the seat amid claims of irregularities, raising concerns over electoral integrity.

The Congress in Thrissur on Tuesday accused Union Minister Suresh Gopi of giving false information in his election affidavit ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. A formal complaint has been registered against him.

Congress leader TN Prathapan claimed that Suresh Gopi was not living in Thrissur as mentioned in the affidavit."As per the rules, a voter must reside in the constituency for at least six months before the election to be included in the voters' list. However, Suresh Gopi was not present in Thrissur during that period and has submitted false information to the Election Commission," Manorama quoted the Congress leader as saying.

Kerala's General Education Minister, V Sivankutty, has called on the Election Commission of India (ECI) to organise a re-election in Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency.

Suresh Gopi, an actor-turned-politician and now Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Tourism, secured the Thrissur seat with a margin exceeding 74,000 votes. He defeated CPI's V S Sunil Kumar and Congress candidate K Muraleedharan in a competitive three-way race. Allegations have surfaced regarding widespread voter list tampering before and after these elections, PTI reported.

Allegations of Voter List Manipulation

Senior CPI(M) leader Sivankutty highlighted claims that even BJP members opposing Gopi suspect that between 30,000 to 60,000 votes were improperly added to the electoral roll. Media reports suggest that several apartments in the district had eight to 15 extra votes included. "Actually, what the Election Commission should do is to conduct a re-election in Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency. A genuine and justifiable voters' list should be prepared for the same," Sivankutty said.

Sivankutty criticised Suresh Gopi for his silence on these allegations. He accused Gopi of avoiding media interactions because he couldn't provide honest answers about the situation. "Gopi is scared to face the media and people," he stated. The minister alleged that Gopi manipulated voter lists and spent large sums of money to secure his win.

Calls for Accountability

The minister urged Gopi to step down as Thrissur MP due to these alleged malpractices. "He should resign and contest a fresh election if interested," Sivankutty added. These remarks came shortly after senior CPI leader V S Sunil Kumar intensified his accusations against the BJP regarding voter list manipulation linked to their victory in central Kerala.

Kumar announced plans to approach the court with evidence supporting claims of manipulation by the BJP in ensuring Gopi's win from Thrissur. The BJP has yet to issue a response concerning these allegations.

With inputs from agencies.