Thiruvananthapuram: As the Congress intensifies its protest in the National Capital against the Election Commission of India over alleged voter fraud in Bihar and Karnataka in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, its Kerala unit Tuesday approached the state police regarding alleged fraud in the Thrissur constituency, where the BJP secured its first-ever Lok Sabha victory in the state.
The Congress filed a police complaint against Bharatiya Janata Party MP Suresh Gopi, alleging that the actor-turned-politician had falsely claimed in his election affidavit that he had been a resident of Thrissur for six months. The complaint was submitted in person to the Thrissur City Police Commissioner by former MP and Congress leader T.N. Prathapan, District Congress Committee president Joseph Tajet, and former MLA Anil Akkara. The Thrissur Assistant Commissioner of Police will lead the probe.
“His affidavit said he was a resident of Thrissur for six months. But that was not the case. His name, along with 14 other family members, appeared in the supplementary voter list. His vote is invalid, and it’s a criminal offence,” Prathapan told media persons after filing the complaint. He said the same complaint had been filed with the Election Commission of India and the State Election Commission, adding that the names of Gopi and his family are now listed in the voter rolls of Thiruvananthapuram district’s Shasthamangalam for the local body polls.
He further claimed that a written complaint had been submitted to the Returning Officer during last year’s election, saying that BJP was attempting large-scale voter fraud by registering outsiders at rented properties in the constituency, but it was ignored.
“According to the law, providing a false affidavit and getting a name included in a voter list invalidates that vote, and can even disqualify a person from Parliament. We have filed the complaint seeking criminal proceedings, and we believe the police will investigate and register a case. We will pursue the matter legally to the highest level,” Prathapan said, alleging that there are multiple cases of double voting orchestrated by the BJP, including Gopi’s brother and close associate.
Gopi won in the Thrissur seat with 4,12,338 votes, defeating Left Democratic Front’s V.S. Sunil Kumar (3,37,652) and Congress’s K. Muraleedharan (3,28,124). The complaint comes days after the Congress and Left accused the BJP of committing electoral fraud for their victory in the constituency.
Muraleedharan claimed that Thrissur saw one of the sharpest voter roll increases in the state—about 47,000—between 2019 and 2024.
“If he truly won through such irregularities, he should resign on moral grounds. I wouldn’t say he should resign otherwise, because if he stays, it’s good for the UDF (United Democratic Front). The BJP will never win here again,” he remarked.
Kerala General Education Minister V. Sivankutty said the Election Commission should order a re-poll in Thrissur. “Suresh Gopi has been silent on the matter. That means he doesn’t have a genuine explanation.”
However, the BJP unit has maintained that Gopi’s electoral victory was genuine and that the complaints stemmed from Congress’s reluctance to admit defeat.
“Suresh Gopi won with over 75,000 votes. Why are they raising the complaint now after all these months? They will raise more complaints after the local body polls are over,” said advocate Nivedida Subramanian, president of BJP’s Thrissur North unit. She said that the party will continue to add genuine voters and names of its supporters to the voters’ list.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
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