‘Thrissur for LS, TVM for local polls’: CPI leader Sunil Kumar trains gun on Suresh Gopi, seeks EC's response

Thiruvananthapuram: CPI leader and former minister VS Sunil Kumar has questioned how Union Minister Suresh Gopi was able to cast his vote in Thiruvananthapuram for the local body elections after adding his name to the voters’ list in Thrissur by declaring himself a permanent resident there. He demanded that the Election Commission clarify how such a situation was allowed.

Though the voters’ lists for the two polls are different, the CPI leader criticised the Lok Sabha MP, reiterating allegations of electoral fraud in Thrissur during the Lok Sabha elections. In August, he had filed a complaint with the Election Commission alleging voter fraud in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in Thrissur.

Sunil Kumar pointed out that Suresh Gopi had voted in Thrissur during the Lok Sabha elections, stating that he and his family reside in the Thrissur parliamentary constituency. However, he exercised his franchise in Thiruvananthapuram for the local body elections on Tuesday.

According to the CPI leader, Suresh Gopi, casting his vote — and allegedly registering votes for his family — in two different places is illegal. Voting in Thrissur for the Lok Sabha elections and again in Thiruvananthapuram for the local body polls violates election norms, he said.

He further alleged that Suresh Gopi’s vote in the local body polls strengthens his earlier complaint that the Union Minister fraudulently registered his vote in Thrissur to win the Lok Sabha seat for the BJP. He accused the actor-turned-politician of misleading the Election Commission by declaring himself a permanent resident in order to include his name in the voters’ lists of two different constituencies.

Suresh Gopi, who won the Lok Sabha seat from Thrissur, had allegedly enrolled himself and his family members — including his brother — in the voters’ list of the Thrissur constituency illegally to increase his vote share. Sunil Kumar alleged that although Suresh Gopi is a permanent resident of Thiruvananthapuram, he shifted temporarily to Thrissur only for the election campaign after being named the BJP candidate. Despite being a temporary resident, he allegedly managed to get himself and his family members included in the Thrissur voters’ list.

In September, Congress leader TN Prathapan filed a complaint against Suresh Gopi, alleging electoral fraud. In the complaint, Prathapan claimed that Suresh Gopi and his brother created fake documents to secure their inclusion in the Thrissur voters’ list. However, the police did not register a case, citing insufficient evidence.