Bogus voting in constituency of CPM’s Pinarayi, alleges Congress
A day before assembly election results, the Congress-led UDF on Wednesday approached the Election Commission, complaining large-scale bogus voting Kannur district’s Dharmadam constituency, where CPI(M) senior leader Pinarayi Vijayan is the candidate.
Updated on: May 19, 2016, 24:43:21 IST
Hindutsan Times | By Ramesh Babu, Thiruvananthapuram
A day before assembly election results, the Congress-led UDF on Wednesday approached the Election Commission, complaining large-scale bogus voting in Kannur district’s Dharmadam constituency, where CPI(M) senior leader Pinarayi Vijayan is the candidate.
A file photo of Pinarayi Vijayan. (Hindustan Times)
Congress candidate Mambaram Divakaran has filed a complaint along with video footage to back his claims. In the video released to the media, at least 21 people, including a CPI(M) woman panchayat ward member, were purportedly seen casting their votes in more than one booth.
One M Navya, who voted in booth number 133, was purportedly seen casting her ballot again in booth number 132.
“We have filed the complaint with clinching evidences. We downloaded the visuals from CCTV cameras installed by the election commission,” Divakaran said.
Chief minister Ooomen Chandy and state Congress chief VM Sudheeran also sought action on this.
However, the CPI(M) denied the charges. “The Congress is raising baseless allegations due to the fear of a big debacle,” said party district secretary M V Jayarajan.
Out of six exit poll surveys, four gave a clear mandate to the LDF, while one gave a slight edge to the ruling UDF. The other predicted a fractured mandate.
Case against Sudhakaran
Meanwhile, police registered a case against former minister and CPI (M) candidate from Ambalapuzha, G Sudhakaran, for peeping into the polling station when party veteran VS Achuthanandan and his wife were casting their votes on May 16. The Congress had filed a complaint.