Thiruvananthapuram: Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, V D Satheesan, on Monday accused the CPM of driving Aneesh George — a booth-level officer (BLO) from Payyannur, Kannur — to suicide. He also alleged that the CPM was working in tandem with the BJP in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation ahead of the local body elections, even as the saffron party “crumbles under the weight of its own workers’ suicides.”

Aneesh, who was part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll for the upcoming Assembly polls, was found dead at his home on Sunday. His family and local representatives said he had been struggling with severe workload stress while trying to distribute and verify enumeration forms within a tight deadline.

Satheesan alleged that CPM workers had threatened Aneesh after he took a Congress booth agent along for SIR-related duties, and that the combination of threats and pressure pushed him to end his life. He demanded a transparent investigation by the state government and urgent intervention from the Election Commission. He also noted that BLOs across Kerala — most of them women — have long complained of unrealistic workloads, with each officer covering 700 to 1,500 voters and making three house visits.

Satheesan further claimed that both the CPM and the BJP were attempting to misuse the SIR process to block the inclusion of UDF-leaning voters. “While the BJP distorts SIR nationally, the CPM is doing the same in Kerala. We will resist any attempt to undermine fair election practices, politically and legally,” he said.

Referring to recent turmoil within the BJP, he said two party workers had died by suicide and another had attempted suicide, with their notes reportedly mentioning financial dealings with BJP leaders. He also highlighted allegations raised by senior BJP leader M S Kumar, saying the CPM was trying to align with a party “mired in internal crises.”

Satheesan pointed to allegations against CPM leader and former minister Kadakampally Surendran, made by two former CPM functionaries — a former block panchayat president and a former Deshabhimani bureau chief — who claimed he was acting as a “BJP agent.” He added that an individual with RSS links was fielded as the LDF candidate in the Pangode ward in Thiruvananthapuram. “With the BJP collapsing in Thiruvananthapuram, the CPM has stepped in to rescue it. This is the latest evidence of a BJP–CPM nexus,” he said.

He also alleged that in Thrissur, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan allowed ADGP M R Ajith Kumar to hold talks with RSS leader Dattatreya Hosabale to influence Pooram arrangements in favour of the BJP.

Satheesan reiterated that UDF candidate Vyshna Suresh, 24, was wrongly removed from the voters’ list, which made her ineligible to contest. “Vyshna is a genuine voter. A clerical error in her house number led to her removal. She produced all the required documents during the hearing. Meanwhile, the complainant himself has multiple votes under his name. The CPM and BJP are trying to tamper with the voters' list. The Election Commission must not support such attempts. Her voting rights must be restored,” he said.