The high-profile election campaign in Kerala's Thrikkakara assembly constituency got a sleazy tint in its final lap with a vulgar video cropping up the cyber space, triggering a fresh round of allegations.
Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate Dr Jo Joseph's wife Dr Daya Pascal on Thursday came out against those circulating the fake video in the name of her husband.
Dr Joseph, the cardiologist-turned-candidate, has filed a complaint with the state police chief against those spreading the video captioned, Dr Jo Joseph with a young woman.
“We have to live here even after the election. Everyone has a family. This is very cruel,” Dr Pascal told reporters in Kochi. She said she was pleading to the leaders of the rival political parties to dissuade their followers from engaging in such smear campaign. “ We have to continue our work and our kids have to go to school,” she said.
She said she has ignored the trolls targeting Dr Joseph personally because she believed there was no point in arguing with those who do not know electoral contests take place between different ideologies.
CPM state secretariat member M Swaraj had on Wednesday alleged that some Congress profiles were behind circulating the video.
The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate Uma Thomas on Thursday distanced herself from the controversy saying she would never support personal attacks in the name of politics.
“I have never spoken anything against a candidate in a disrespectful way. This is a political fight. There should not be any space for personal attacks here. What's the need for it? We will have to walk together even after the elections. I won't support any move that hurts the family of another candidate. If anyone has circulated something like that, I say it's absolutely wrong,” Uma Thomas said.
