Thrissur LS poll: Bogus vote allegations tied to vacant flats spark political storm

Thrissur: Serious allegations have emerged of bogus votes being added in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Thrissur constituency, centring on city apartment complexes. At the Capital Village apartment in Punkunnam, nine bogus votes were allegedly registered to a flat without the owner’s knowledge. The irregularity occurred in Flat No 4C, where, according to owner Prasanna, she is the only person with voting rights in Thrissur. “The rest of my family votes in Poochinnipadam. I have no idea who added the others’ names. I lodged a complaint about the bogus entries,” she said.

Meanwhile, CPM workers have alleged large-scale irregularities in the voter lists of booths 36 and 37 within the Thrissur Corporation limits. They claim outsiders were listed as residents of city flats and granted voting rights by providing false information. Many of those allegedly added to the rolls no longer live in the flats. A reality check found several apartments locked and unoccupied.

Flats such as Water Lilly at Ayyanthole Kanjirappallam, Capital Village at Punkunnam, and Inland Udayanagar have been named in the allegations. A significant number of these units reportedly remain vacant, with their addresses allegedly misused to transfer votes from other districts to Thrissur. Owners say they do not even know the people registered under their addresses.

Congress MP K Muraleedharan alleged that the Thrissur district collector took a negative stance when complaints were raised about irregularities in the voters’ list. He claimed that conspiracies had been in motion since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the constituency.

According to Muraleedharan, BJP national leader Amit Shah had instructed that Union Minister and Thrissur MP Suresh Gopi should only arrive in the constituency after the election results were declared, and not be present on counting day. “A film producer himself revealed this,” Muraleedharan said, adding that this explained Suresh Gopi’s absence from Thrissur on the crucial day.

The MP demanded a comprehensive probe into the alleged manipulation of the Thrissur voters’ list.

Former minister V S Sunil Kumar alleged that the Election Commission had eased the rules for voter list entry to the point where “adding a name is like giving a missed call to join the BJP.” He demanded that the Commission take up the case suo motu and launch an inquiry.

Thrissur DCC president Adv Joseph Tajet said the housewife’s disclosure had exposed a grave irregularity, adding that this showed the BJP’s “nationwide election manipulation” was also carried out in Thrissur.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi of the BJP won the Thrissur constituency by a margin of 74,686 votes. It was the BJP's first Lok Sabha win in the state. CPI’s Adv V Sunikumar came second, while K Muraleedharan of the Congress secured the third position.