Kadamakudy nomination row: DCC chief alleges political bias by election officials

Ernakulam: The UDF has alleged political misuse of authority in the rejection of the nomination of its candidate and district panchayat vice-president, Elsie George, in the Kadamakudy division. With no dummy candidate filed, the party has been left without a candidate in the division.

Officials, however, have stated that her nomination was rejected because her nominator was not a resident of Kadamakudy but was from the Vypin division. According to DCC President Mohammed Shiyas, when Elsie and her supporters realised the error and attempted to submit a fresh nomination at 2.50 pm, they were stopped by police and officials from entering the Collector’s room. He alleged they were allowed entry only after the 3 pm deadline had passed.

The UDF says the CCTV footage of the incident will provide clarity and will be accessed under the Right to Information Act. The party also alleges that certain officials in the Returning Officer’s office violated election rules.

According to the UDF, Elsie George’s democratic rights were deliberately sabotaged through actions taken with political malice. The party has said it will challenge the issue both politically and legally.

Meanwhile, the nominations of LDF candidate and panchayat president Mary Vincent, BJP candidate Rachana Prathapan, and an LDF dummy candidate were accepted.