The office of Chief Electoral Officer – Kerala (CEO) Rathan U. Kelkar has asked V.S. Sunilkumar, the Communist Party of India (CPI) candidate in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in Thrissur, to sign a declaration/oath should he wish to persist with his allegations concerning the voters’ list for the polls.
The Declaration/Oath under Rule 20(3)(b) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, requires Mr. Sunilkumar to affirm that his statement is true to the best of his knowledge and belief; that he is aware that making a false declaration in connection with electoral rolls is punishable under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and also that giving false evidence is punishable under Section 227 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
The CEO’s office wrote to Mr. Sunilkumar on Sunday on the basis of a letter to it from the District Election Officer (DEO)/District Collector, Thrissur, stating that the concerns raised by the political parties on the electoral revision “were taken into account and disposed in time.” The DEO’s letter to the CEO was in response to Mr. Sunilkumar’s remarks to the media made on August 9.
In the letter to Mr. Sunilkumar, the CEO’s office strongly condemned his remarks. It has urged all stakeholders to refrain from making accusations against election officials. Election officials perform their duties with impartiality, diligence, and in strict compliance with the electoral laws and instructions of the Election Commission of India, it said. Constructive feedback and genuine grievances should always be channelled through the appropriate legal and administrative mechanisms, the CEO’s office said.
‘Proper procedure’
When contacted, Mr. Kelkar said there was nothing extraordinary about seeking the declaration/oath. “We have said that we have taken all steps. The District Collector, Thrissur, also has given a detailed reply. So if he wants to pursue it further, this is the proper procedure. It is not a new thing we have introduced,” he said.
Published – August 10, 2025 09:02 pm IST
