The Guruvayur temple police have registered a case against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state vice president and party candidate in Guruvayur Assembly constituency B. Gopalakrishnan for his alleged communal remark in a campaign video.
Sources said the case was registered after the Election Commission of India (EC) intervened. Acting on the instructions of Chief Electoral Officer (Kerala) Rathan U. Kelkar, the District Collector of Thrissur initiated a case against Mr. Gopalakrishnan for allegedly violating the model code of conduct.
According to the police, the case was registered in accordance with § 192 and § 125 of the Act on Representation of the People of the BNS. BNS Section 192 refers to wanton provocation with intent to cause disturbance, while Section 125 of the Representation of the People Act refers to promoting enmity between classes in connection with elections. The case was registered on the complaint of the returning officer for Guruvayur constituency.
In a controversial campaign video, Mr. Gopalakrishnan reportedly said that Guruvayur constituency had not elected a “Hindu MLA” for nearly five decades and alleged that both the Left and the Congress-led front had not fielded candidates from the community. In the video, he claimed that Guruvayur, the “land of Lord Guruvayurappan”, was in the hands of “temple thieves” for the past five decades.
Following the instructions of the collector, the video has been removed from social media platforms.
Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan strongly criticized his remarks and said he was not surprised that BJP leaders were always seeking votes in an attempt to divide people in the name of religion and caste. He said Kerala is known for its communal harmony and that is why constituencies like Muslim dominant Ponnani had MLAs belonging to the Hindu community and segments like Guruvayur have many times elected legislators from the Muslim community.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) Thrissur District Secretary Abdul Khader alleged that Mr. Gopalakrishnan’s remarks were aimed at creating discord among people and the BJP had no role to play in the development of the Guruvayur temple town.
Mr Khader said the development of Guruvayur was primarily driven by secular parties and accused the BJP of “pursuing divisive politics” ahead of the elections.
Both the CPI(M) and the Congress approached the EC seeking action against the BJP leader. The student wing of the Congress, the Kerala Students’ Union (KSU), moved the Kerala High Court and filed a police complaint against the alleged remark.
Published – 22 March 2026 21:13 IST
