THRISSUR, 25 AUG

Senior BJP leader B Gopalakrishnan triggered a political row after stating that people from Jammu and Kashmir could be brought to Kerala constituencies and temporarily settled to influence election outcomes.

The remarks come amid opposition allegations of voter list manipulation in connection with Union Minister Suresh Gopi’s Lok Sabha victory from Thrissur.

Gopalakrishnan said residents from Jammu and Kashmir could be added to the voter rolls if they stayed in the constituency for a year, and described the move as permissible. Opposition parties termed it an admission of “vote theft.”

The Congress and CPI(M)-led LDF accused the BJP of enrolling “fake voters” and claimed outsiders were being registered as residents to bolster the party’s vote share. Congress alleged that about 60,000 such voters were added in Thrissur, and sought cancellation of Gopi’s election over a purportedly false affidavit on his residence.

Suresh Gopi declined to comment, saying the Election Commission should respond to the charges. Opposition parties have filed complaints with police and the EC, citing instances of double voting and voters registered at unoccupied addresses.

Both UDF and LDF have demanded investigations into the role of election officials allegedly involved in irregularities.

The controversy has sharpened political tensions in Kerala, where Gopi’s win marked the BJP’s first Lok Sabha seat in the state.