Thiruvananthapuram: Senior Congress leader and AICC Working Committee member Ramesh Chennithala has alleged that the Kerala State Election Commission is attempting to politically aid the CPI(M) by tampering with the voter list for the upcoming local body polls, imitating the ‘Maharashtra model’ of manipulation.
Chennithala said that widespread complaints have emerged regarding the updated voter list published by the State Election Commission on July 23, raising serious concerns.
“In many wards, voters have been arbitrarily shifted to other wards, and several names are missing altogether,” he said.
He pointed out that in Maharashtra, the BJP had secured an illegitimate victory through large-scale manipulations of the voter list, which were later exposed. When the opposition discovered this, a similar strategy was allegedly attempted in Bihar by removing lakhs of voters from the list to secure victory, he added.
“The CPI(M) in Kerala is now carefully studying and implementing these tactics. For this, they are receiving backing and support from the Central Government and the Election Commission,” he alleged.
Chennithala further stated that the number of voters per booth, which was capped at 1,100 for the Lok Sabha elections, has now been increased to 1,300. This, he warned, could lead to delays and irregularities during polling.
He also noted that in several places, the number of polling booths has been reduced. Additionally, wards have been reorganized in a manner that allegedly favors the CPI(M), effectively enabling electoral manipulation with the support of the Election Commission.
Chennithala added that the 15-day period provided for filing complaints regarding these issues is grossly insufficient and must be extended.
