Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 10 A political storm has erupted in Kerala after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP and Union Minister of State Suresh Gopi cast his vote in the Sasthamangalam division of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation on December 9 in the local body elections, triggering sharp reactions from the Opposition and a strong defence from the BJP.
The controversy was first raised by CPI leader and former State Minister V.S. Sunil Kumar, who on Wednesday questioned how Suresh Gopi, who had enrolled and voted as a resident of Thrissur during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, was now exercising his franchise in Thiruvananthapuram in the ongoing local body polls.
Gopi had defeated Sunil Kumar in the Thrissur Lok Sabha seat by over 70,000 votes in the general elections, and the fresh row has now acquired an added political edge given that recent history.
Sunil Kumar demanded an explanation from both the Election Commission and the Union Minister, alleging a serious breach of electoral norms and seeking clarity on the legal basis of the minister’s voting status in two different places within a short span of time.
Joining the attack, Thrissur District Congress Committee (DCC) president Joseph Tajet alleged that Suresh Gopi's "true colours have been exposed" by this latest episode and that the development had vindicated the Opposition's earlier apprehensions.
He accused the BJP MP of deceiving voters and described the Sasthamangalam vote as proof of "political double standards" and a contradiction of the image projected during the Lok Sabha campaign in Thrissur.
Tajet demanded that Suresh Gopi publicly clarify his stand, apologise to the people of Thrissur for allegedly misleading them during the parliamentary election, and step down from office in the wake of what he termed a serious moral and political lapse.
"A voter cannot legally exercise voting rights in two places. This strikes at the very core of the democratic process and undermines the faith of ordinary citizens in the electoral system," he said.
The BJP, however, dismissed the allegations as politically motivated and legally baseless, accusing the Opposition of twisting facts to create confusion during a sensitive electoral phase.
Senior BJP leader B. Gopalakrishnan said that the voters' lists for Lok Sabha, Assembly and local body elections are prepared separately under different legal frameworks and administrative processes, even though they relate to the same citizen.
"Everyone knows that these are two distinct electoral rolls, governed by different rules and procedures. The Opposition is deliberately misleading the public and trying to manufacture a fake controversy," he said.
He also pointed out that Suresh Gopi had sold his house at Nettissery in Thrissur and continues to own and reside in a legally valid address in Sasthamangalam in Thiruvananthapuram, which forms the basis of his inclusion in the local body voters’ list there.
"Does the Opposition expect him to shift into a neighbour's house just because his old home was sold?" he asked sarcastically, adding that if anyone claims the MP is wrongly enrolled in the Thrissur local body voters' list, they should produce documentary proof instead of making speculative allegations.
Election officials clarified that Suresh Gopi's name had figured in the Sasthamangalam local body voters' list even during the previous local elections and that it had neither been deleted nor transferred in the latest revision.
Since he owns a residence in Sasthamangalam and his name continues to remain on the local body voters’ roll there, his voting in Thiruvananthapuram does not constitute a legal violation, officials indicated, stressing that there is no record of him casting a vote in any Thrissur local body election.
However, they added that the only question of technical relevance is why his name was not included in the Thrissur local body electoral roll at the time he was enrolled and voted as a Lok Sabha elector from Thrissur, and whether due procedural updates were carried out simultaneously.
With both sides locked in a war of words, the issue has added fresh political heat to Kerala’s already charged local body election landscape and is expected to continue as a talking point in the days ahead.
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