Kochi: Several complaints have been raised over the illegal inclusion of guest workers in the voters’ list for the upcoming local body elections in Kerala. It is alleged that the voters’ list in Kochi city corporation divisions such as Mundamveli, Manassery and Island have witnessed widespread inclusion of workers from other states.

For instance, there are 34 voters under a house number in the Mundamveli East division. Curiously, this house has an area of a mere 505 square feet. In fact, only three of these voters belong to this address. An enquiry revealed that all three voters reside abroad, and the house has been unoccupied for some time.

Even the neighbours have no clue about the identity of the remaining 31 voters, who are apparently people belonging to other states, going by their names. Local residents demanded a probe to reveal whether these 31 voters were included in the list by oversight or if there was a deliberate attempt at malpractice.

“Several workers employed by companies who secured contracts to carry out various projects in Kochi have been included in the list,” alleged Antony Kureethara, the opposition leader in the Kochi corporation council. There are moves to add more such people to the voters’ list, he added.

Another major defect of the voters’ list has been pointed out by 385 voters residing in the Gandhi Nagar division, who said that their names have been included in the voters’ list of the neighbouring Girinagar division. Most of these voters reside in P&T colony and Udaya Colony in Gandhi Nagar.

Incidentally, many of the residents in P&T colony were resettled in flats located in the Mundamveli East division. However, their names are retained in the voters’ list of the Gandhi Nagar division. “We will file a complaint against including the names of Gandhi Nagar residents in the voters’ list of Girinagar division,” said P D Martin, secretary of the Ernakulam District Congress Committee.