Pro-UDF teachers flag DYFI leader's wife as Kannur election deputy collector, seek ECI probe

Kannur: Two days after the Election Commission of India (ECI) suspended the Kannur District Information Officer for issuing a press release allegedly favouring CPM MLA and candidate K V Sumesh, a UDF-affiliated teachers' body has sought a broader probe into what it calls a pattern of questionable administrative decisions in the run-up to the Assembly elections.

In a complaint to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Kerala's Chief Electoral Officer Rathan U Kelkar, the Kerala Private College Teachers' Association (KPCTA) has flagged the appointment of Sibi N as Deputy Collector (Election) in Kannur, eight days before the elections were announced.

Sibi N, a Kerala Administrative Service officer, is married to Shijukhan Pathamkallu, CPM leader and district secretary of the party's youth wing DYFI in Thiruvananthapuram. Shijukhan is also a syndicate member of the University of Kerala.

In the letter, KPCTA state secretary Dr Shino P Jose alleged that the timing of Sibi's appointment "suggests a deliberate attempt by the ruling government to influence the conduct of the Assembly election" on April 9.

The association has also raised concerns over the selection of liaison officers for election and expenditure observers. KPCTA Kannur region president Prof Prajitha P alleged that, shortly after the election was announced on March 15, aided college teachers associated with the pro-LDF All Kerala Private College Teachers' Association (AKPCTA) received WhatsApp messages from the Collectorate's election wing asking them to attend training to serve as liaison officers for the Election Commission's general and police observers. Three teachers from her college were picked as liaison officers.  

"These teachers were handed appointment orders only during the first training session on March 17," said Prof Prajitha, a Malayalam faculty member at Payyannur College. "Normally, institution heads are formally informed in advance, and orders are issued before such training."

On the same day, Kannur District Collector Arun K Vijayan, in his capacity as District Election Officer, also appointed three non-teaching staff from Kannur University as liaison officers for expenditure observers. "All three are members of pro-LDF non-teaching organisations," alleged Dr Shino Jose.

The KPCTA argued that the selection process appeared partisan and violated norms laid down in the Returning Officer's Handbook, which prescribes objective criteria such as designation and seniority. "Instead, affiliation to pro-LDF organisations appears to have become the determining factor," Prof Prajitha said.

She said she had written to the Chief Electoral Officer on March 18 seeking an inquiry, but no action has followed so far.

The pro-UDF teachers' body linked these developments to the recent controversy involving the Kannur District Information Officer, who issued as an official release a complaint by Sumesh alleging character assassination by UDF leaders, before an inquiry by the Election Commission.

Following a complaint from Congress, the collector suspended the officer for alleged partisan use of official machinery.

Tracing Deputy Collector Sibi's recent postings, KPCTA said she was serving as Under Secretary in the Water Resources Department before being transferred to Kannur in March 2025 as the Land Reforms Appellate Authority, a quasi-judicial role hearing appeals against decisions made by Land Tribunals.

On March 7, 2026, she took charge as Deputy Collector (Election). On March 15, Gyanesh Kumar announced the election. "We see a pattern. The appointment, the selection of liaison officers, and the official amplification of a candidate's complaint. The Election Commission must examine these together and clear the air," Dr Shino Jose said.

The CPM in Kannur district was grappling with internal turmoil, including allegations of misappropriation of funds raised for slain party worker C V Dhanraj in Payyannur and dissent over the candidature of P K Shyamala in Taliparamba, said Dr Premachandran Keezhoth, KPCTA state president and teacher at Payyanur College. "In such a situation, even the perception of a pliant administrative set-up on election duty can raise serious concerns," he said.