Kerala local body polls: Congress slams CPI(M) over rejection of candidate nominations on 'flimsy' grounds

Thiruvananthapuram: Congress in Kerala has alleged that the ruling CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front is politicising the ongoing local body electioneering as the nominations of scores of its candidates were rejected citing 'flimsy' reasons and also by 'threatening candidates' against contesting the polls.

As the scrutiny of the nominations were over as many as 2479 were rejected, while 1,07,211 candidates are now in the fray. Nominations can be withdrawn till Monday.

Among those rejected include many key candidates of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), including that of probable chairman candidate at Kapetta municipality in Wayanad, K G Raveendran.

Moreover, in many wards in CPI(M)'s stronghold Kannur there are no UDF candidates. In four wards CPI(M) candidates were elected unopposed.

Audio recordings of a death threat to a CPI(M) rebel candidate by a CPI(M) local leader at Agali in Palakkad district and a UDF woman candidate in the Pathanamthitta being threatened of sacking from a temporary job with a state public sector undertaking came out on Sunday.

Opposition leader V D Satheesan said that the CPI(M) was threatening and influencing officials to reject nominations citing flimsy grounds. At Kannur the CPI(M) was threatening others from filing nominations.

"There were even instances of nomination being rejected on the grounds of signature mismatch, even as the candidate himself testified that it was his signature. While nominations of some left front candidates who are temporary workers with a government establishment were accepted, nomination of a UDF candidate was rejected citing that he is a Khadi board worker. The UDF will strongly deal with these unfair practices by seeking legal remedy," said Satheesan.

Already there were widespread allegations over CPI(M)'s interventions in the delimitation of the local body wards as well as the electoral rolls. The decision of the officials to remove a Congress candidate's name from the electoral roll in Thiruvananthapuram citing a mistake in address was scrapped by the state election commissioner after the candidate approached the Kerala HC.

Meanwhile, social activists Kulathur Jaisingh filed a petition to the state election commission seeking action against those threatening other candidates from filing nominations.