Hours after former Wadakkanchery MLA and KPCC general secretary Anil Akkara sought a vigilance probe into an alleged CPM bribe offer in the Wadakkanchery Block Panchayat president election, League-backed independent member EU Jaffer backtracked on his claim that the LDF had tried to buy his vote.

Jaffer has now claimed that he voted in favour of the LDF candidate by mistake. He denied allegations that CPM leaders contacted him for support or that anyone influenced or persuaded him to vote in a particular manner. He maintained that there was no deal involved and that his vote was not the result of any inducement. To prove his innocence, Jaffer told the media that he is ready to undergo a lie detector test if required. “I am a person who opposes the CPM in my locality,” he said.

He said protests were held outside his house after the president’s election and that, under these circumstances, he chose to stay away from the vice-president’s election. Jaffer asserted that he has not accepted even a single rupee from anyone and said his phone records could be verified. He added that he would fully cooperate with the vigilance inquiry already underway.

Meanwhile, protests against Jaffer have intensified in Wadakkanchery, led by the UDF and involving the Youth Congress. Amid rising tensions, Jaffer sought police protection and reached the Pavaratty Police Station, claiming that he was facing threats. The phone conversation, reportedly between Jaffer—who won from the Thali division of the Wadakkanchery Block Panchayat—and Congress Varavoor Mandalam president Mustafa, sparked widespread outrage.

Earlier in the day, Anil Akkara filed a complaint with the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) seeking a probe into an audio recording that surfaced on social media, alleging that the CPM offered either a ₹50 lakh bribe or the post of Block Panchayat president to influence the president’s election. The audio clip, which triggered a major political controversy, allegedly features Jaffer claiming that the LDF offered him money to defect and vote in the election.

Following the episode, VACB initiated a preliminary inquiry against Jaffer based on Anil Akkara’s complaint. VACB DySP Jim Paul is leading the probe.