The Kerala Police on Friday registered a criminal case against G Sudhakaran, a senior leader of the state’s ruling CPI(M), after he claimed that he had tampered with postal votes in the Lok Sabha elections of 1989.
At an event of the party-affiliated Kerala NGO Union on Wednesday, Sudhakaran had claimed that the things he had done for the party included opening postal ballots and making manipulations in favour of the CPI(M)’s Alappuzha constituency candidate in the 1989 election.
The Election Commission of India on Thursday took serious note of the former two-time state minister’s speech and ordered police to take action.
Police in Alappuzha South registered the FIR under IPC sections 465, 468 and 471, which deal with forgery and cheating, as well as sections 135, 135A, 136 and 128 of the Representation of the People Act. The Alappuzha District Collector, who is also the district election officer, is the complainant in the case.
Sudhakaran had said after making the claim that he was not afraid of any action that could be taken against him over his revelation.
However, after the , Sudhakaran said, “My speech was mixed with imagination. I have never cast a fake vote or made others do the same. I have never opened postal ballots.”
On Thursday, state Chief Electoral Officer Dr Rathan U Kelkar said the Election Commission was viewing Sudhakaran’s revelation “with utmost seriousness”. He directed the Alappuzha district election officer to “file an FIR, initiate a case and take immediate steps for a detailed investigation”. Subsequently, a tahsildar in Alappuzha recorded Sudhakaran’s statement.
A four-time MLA, G Sudhakaran was a minister in the V S Achuthanandan-led Left Democratic Front government from 2006 to 2011. He has also served as the minister for the Public Works Department in Chief Minister ’s previous Cabinet.
