No complaints in Kerala of deliberate denial of voting rights, says Chief Minister VD Satheesan

Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan Photo Credit: NIRMAL HARINDRAN

No complaint has been lodged in Kerala regarding the deliberate denial of voting rights to anyone, Chief Minister VD Satheesan said on Friday.

In a post-cabinet press conference, the chief minister said that the United Democratic Front (UDF) had raised certain complaints regarding transparency and simplification of procedures during the Special Intensive Review (SIR).

These were reported to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO – Kerala). He said no allegations were made by either the CPI(M) or the BJP. He attributed the names deleted from the voter list to absent, dead or displaced voters.

The current allegations against ECI relate to the removal of core names. Keralam has not seen complaints filed in this regard unlike states like Maharashtra, West Bengal or Haryana, he said.

On reports that Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had demanded the dissolution of the Lok Sabha and the State Assembly and called the elections illegal, Mr. Satheesan denied that Mr. Kharge had made such a remark.

Regarding the state government ordering a preliminary inquiry by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in a 20-year-old corruption charge, he said the order was issued on the basis of a complaint in which Mr. Kumar was named. He served as PWD State Secretary. The investigation related to the suspected suicide of Lee See Been, chief engineer of an Indo-Malaysian construction company contracted to upgrade MC Road in Kuala Lumpur in November 2006.

“Only after an investigation will we be able to find out who the culprits are. An investigation is not a punishment,” Mr. Satheesan said.

Published – 9 October 2026 22:10 IST