Thrissur: With the State Assembly elections approaching, Union Minister Suresh Gopi has once again drawn criticism after shifting his voter registration to the Guruvayur constituency. The minister recently submitted an application under Form 8 to transfer his vote to Guruvayur.

His name now appears as voter number 697 at the Guruvayur Devaswom Board English Medium School polling station. The registration is linked to his residence at Achutham Flats near the Guruvayur Temple. Several prominent residents, including Congress leader K Muraleedharan, also reside in the same apartment complex.

The move comes months before the Assembly elections and follows multiple shifts in his voter registration in recent years. During the 2024 Lok Sabha election, Suresh Gopi and his family registered and voted in Nettissery in Thrissur Corporation, citing it as their permanent residence. In the subsequent local body elections, he cast his vote in the Sasthamangalam division of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation.

District Congress Committee president Joseph Tajet criticised the latest change, alleging that the Union Minister was treating democracy like a game. He said repeatedly changing voter registration ahead of elections was unethical.

Congress leader Anil Akkara also took a swipe at the minister. In a sarcastic remark, he said, “For this Assembly election, the vote is in Guruvayur for worship.” Akkara pointed out that the minister had voted in Thiruvananthapuram during the corporation elections two months ago and in Thrissur during the Lok Sabha election a year earlier. In a Facebook post, he further noted that this time the minister had registered alone rather than with his family. The repeated shifts in voter registration have triggered a political debate in the run-up to the Assembly polls.