Thiruvananthapuram: In a major setback for the UDF, its youngest candidate in Thiruvananthapuram, Vyshna Suresh, was unable to submit her nomination papers for the local body polls. The State Election Commission removed her name from the supplementary voters list after the CPM complained that she was not on the Corporation’s voter rolls.

As per election rules, a person can contest for the council only if their name appears in the voters list of any ward within the Corporation. Vyshna was the UDF candidate for the Muttada ward.

Speaking to Manorama News, Vyshna said she learned about the issue through the media. “I will verify the details first. Contesting or not is secondary for now. The party will decide the next steps. I am not responsible for the wrong Thiruvananthapuram Corporation (TC) number in the voters list. Had I not been the candidate, this complaint would never have been raised. I could have voted and left. Why didn’t they raise this complaint during the October–November period?” she said.

According to the CPM, Vyshna’s name was missing from the voters list. Since the supplementary list had not yet been published, officials were unable to check whether her name had been included, leaving her unable to file her nomination. The Commission made its decision after a hearing based on Vyshna’s request for the supplementary list and the CPM complaint.

What happened?
Vyshna submitted her address to the State Election Commission as 18/564. However, the property’s owner, Raheeb Shah, informed officials that he did not know Vyshna, had not rented the building to anyone, and had not allowed anyone to register their vote there. As a result, her name was removed from the voters' list.

Following this, the candidate was given until 5 pm on November 13 to clarify the issue. According to the Commission’s timeline, the final voters' list was scheduled to be published on the morning of November 14.

In an affidavit submitted on November 15 via speed post, Vyshna explained that her correct address was 18/2365 (formerly 3/564) Sudha Bhavan, Muttada, and not 18/564 as previously listed by her.

“I had inadvertently noted my TC No as 18/564 (as was wrongly noted in the voter's list) in my objection and earlier affidavit. The same was done on innocent oversight and may kindly be pardoned. It is reiterated that the new TC No of the building where I am residing is 18/2365 (old TC No. 3/564) ,” Vyshna explained.

She further clarified that the house is owned by her relative, Sandeep, and the address appears on all her official documents, including her Aadhar card, driving licence, passport, and Election ID. While she currently resides in Ambalamukku on rent, her family home is in Muttada ward, and she voted in the last Lok Sabha election using this address. When TC numbers were reallocated, the building was assigned the new T.C. number 18/2365.

However, the K-SMART building certificate showed that Sandeep’s building was originally listed as 3/566, before being changed to 18/2365, adding to the confusion.

Vyshna said she submitted her application using the number listed alongside her name in the voters’ register, along with all the necessary documents to the Corporation’s election cell. She claimed that officials at the election cell refused to accept her affidavit correcting the address to 18/2365, forcing her to send it via speed post.

In Muttada, the LDF has fielded Anshu Vamadevan, the current councillor from Kesavadasapuram, while the NDA has nominated a BDJS candidate.