Congress rebuts BJP’s ‘vote theft’ charge in Wayanad, says ‘Chounderi’ is a locality, not one house

After BJP alleged voter fraud in Priyanka Gandhi’s Wayanad seat, claiming people of different faiths were registered in the same house, local Congress leaders clarified that ‘Chounderi’ refers to a place name shared by many homes, not a single residence.

Wayanad: The local Congress leadership in Kerala's Wayanad district on Thursday disputed the BJP’s claim that voters of multiple religions are registered in a house named "Chaunderi" in booth No. 41 of the Kalpetta Assembly segment, saying the saffron party was referring to the name of a place, and that many homes in the area share the same name.

The BJP on Wednesday claimed there were irregularities in voter registration in Priyanka Gandhi's Wayanad Lok Sabha seat, as well as in the Rae Bareli, Diamond Harbour, and Kannauj parliamentary constituencies, and called on Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka, Abhishek Banerjee, and Akhilesh Yadav to resign as Lok Sabha MPs, alleging they secured victory through "vote chori" (vote theft).

In a Facebook post, Congress leader and Wayanad District Panchayat President Samshad Marakkar said BJP leader Anurag Thakur's claim that a Hindu and a Muslim live in the same house was wrong.

"The issue he referred to is from my own hometown. The place once known as Chamundeswari Kunnu gradually came to be called "Chounderi" or "Chounderi Kunnu" over the years."

Hindus, Christians, and Muslims all use "Chounderi" or "Chounderi Kunnu" as their family name in that area, he claimed.

"That does not mean they all live in the same house--such a foolish assumption should not be made."

"As you mentioned, those using the name "Chounderi Kunnu" are not only Hindus and Muslims, but also Christians, as well as people belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. That's just the way our land is, sir," Marakkar said.

The relatives of the voters mentioned in the list also said "Chounderi" was the name of a place derived from the Hindu deity Chamundeswari, and not the name of a house.