The Congress and BJP on Tuesday argued that the ruling CPI(M)’s reported statements about preventing fake voters from entering polling stations during the Palakkad bypoll were aimed at intimidating electors and constituted an overreach of authority.
The bypoll is scheduled for November 20. Rahul Mamkootathil, the Congress-led UDF candidate and state president of the Youth Congress, expressed his concern during a silent campaign in the Palakkad constituency, stating that if election officials are government officers, then how did fake voters’ names end up on the electoral roll? Mamkootathil emphasized that while the UDF opposes fake voting, it should not be used to intimidate other voters.
Krishnakumar critiques CPI(M) for undermining local authorities with fake voter claims
BJP’s C Krishnakumar, who also canvassed votes in the constituency, argued that the CPI(M)’s statements revealed a tendency to take the law into their own hands. Krishnakumar questioned whether the Left party lacked faith in its own government’s Home Department or the district administration by suggesting that such actions were unnecessary. He stated that his party would pursue legal measures to prevent fake voting rather than physically blocking voters from entering polling stations.
LDF’s candidate, P Sarin, during his door-to-door campaign, asserted that if the UDF and BJP hoped to secure victory through fake votes, the Left would prevent it using legal and democratic means. Sarin pointed out that the Left was not concerned with fake votes and urged both the UDF and BJP not to rely on such tactics for success.
He suggested that Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s recent remarks about IUML supremo Panakkad Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal would influence the outcome of the Palakkad bypoll. During a campaign meeting for LDF candidate P Sarin in Palakkad on Sunday, Vijayan criticized Thangal, suggesting he was acting in concert with Jamaat-e-Islami.
This statement by Vijayan, which many viewed as having communal undertones, highlighted concerns over his political inclinations. The bypoll became necessary after the Congress MLA from the Palakkad constituency, Shafi Parambil, was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Vadakara constituency.
