In the wake of the 2024 voter list fraud allegations by former minister and CPI leader V S Sunil Kumar, Chief Electoral Officer, Kerala, Dr Rathan U Kelkar condemned his remarks against Thrissur District Election Officer. He also urged political leaders to refrain from accusing election officials. In a notice issued by the CEO's office, Sunil Kumar has been asked to sign a declaration if he wishes to pursue the matter legally. 

"Sign a Declaration/Oath under Rule 20(3)(b) of the Registration of Electoral Rules, 1960, along with the names of the concerned electors, to enable legal action," the notice read. The CEO also said that officials work impartially and in strict compliance with election laws, and grievances should be raised through proper legal channels.

In response to Sunilkumar's allegation, the Thrissur DEO also said that no appeals were received regarding the electoral roll used in the 010 Thrissur parliamentary constituency during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. All recognised political parties were regularly informed, through the DEO’s notice board and the Chief Electoral Officer’s website, about the list of claims, objections, and the actions taken, he added. 

Sunil Kumar has alleged voter list manipulation in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in Thrissur, where BJP’s Suresh Gopi won, claiming voters from other constituencies were added and BJP workers enrolled new voters after the draft list. Congress leaders have also alleged bogus votes in the constituency, the BJP’s only win in Kerala that year.

A similar letter was recently sent by the Karnataka CEO to Rahul Gandhi over his voter list allegations. In a fresh notice on Sunday, the CEO asked Gandhi to submit documents supporting his claim that a woman voted twice, noting a preliminary inquiry found the records he showed were not issued by a polling officer and that the voter denied the allegation.