Communist Party of India (CPI) leader V.S. Sunil Kumar, who was the LDF candidate in Thrissur in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, on Wednesday (August 13, 2025) informed Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Kerala Rathan U. Kelkar that the latter’s demand that he sign a declaration/oath in connection with his complaint regarding vote fraud was “unsustainable in law.”
Mr. Sunil Kumar, who met Mr. Kelkar in Thiruvananthapuram, reiterated his charge that several BJP workers who were not ordinarily residents in Thrissur were included in the electoral rolls for the parliamentary constituency ahead of the elections.
In a written reply to the CEO, he urged him to declare the final electoral roll published on April 4, 2024 as “not valid and vitiated by fraud.” It was absolutely clear that the final electoral roll of Thrissur parliamentary constituency for the 2024 election was manipulated and that ineligible persons were enrolled, which amounted to fraud, he said.
In asking him to sign such a declaration/oath, the CEO was merely attempting to wriggle out of his responsibility in making sure that the “illegal entries” in the electoral rolls are removed and the guilty punished, Mr. Sunil Kumar, a former Agriculture Minister, said.
Rule 20(3)(b) of the Registration of Rules, 1960, which the CEO’s office had invoked in asking him to sign the oath/declaration is not applicable and “totally irrelevant” at this stage since it is related to procedures before the electoral roll is published, according to Mr. Sunil Kumar.
The CEO’s office had on August 10 asked Mr. Sunil Kumar to sign a declaration/oath should he wish to persist with his allegations concerning the voters’ list used for the Lok Sabha polls in Thrissur.
To divulge more information
Later, speaking to the media, Mr. Sunil Kumar said he would hold a press conference in Thrissur on Thursday (August 14, 2025) and divulge more information related to the alleged irregularities in the rolls. “He (Mr. Kelkar) told me that he would examine the issue and what can be done legally. He has not given me any other assurance,” Mr. Sunil Kumar said.
In his written reply, Mr. Sunil Kumar named the brother and the sister-in-law of Union Minister Suresh Gopi, who had won the elections, among the individuals who had moved their votes to Thrissur just ahead of the polls. The couple had votes both in the Thrissur and Kollam parliamentary constituencies for the 2024 parliamentary election, he alleged.
Mr. Sunil Kumar said he would explore the possibility of continued legal action on the matter. He described his efforts as a “fight for democracy,” adding that “people would lose faith in the elections if such situations are allowed to persist.”
MLAs P.S. Supal and V.R. Sunil Kumar accompanied Mr. Sunil Kumar during his visit to the CEO’s office.
Published – August 13, 2025 04:07 pm IST
