Veena George, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate in the Aranmula constituency, alleged that a few Congress workers heckled and attempted to manhandle her as she was visiting the polling stations on Tuesday. Veena George, who is the sitting MLA of the constituency in the Pathanamthitta district, alleged that it was part of a planned attack as a group of people had crowded around her. The incident took place in Arattupuzha while she was visiting the polling booths. She has complained to the Election Commission officials in Pathanamthitta.
"I had reached Arattupuzha Government High School, where there were two booths. As I entered the first polling booth, three persons approached me and said that I shouldn’t and won’t be allowed to enter the booth. I reminded them that it is my right as a candidate and I had been visiting booths since the morning," Veena George told media persons, adding that she had obtained the required pass for the same.
She then left for the second booth in the polling station. "By then, a ruckus began outside the booth. I was visiting the booths alone. When I came out of the second booth, a few men verbally abused me, and even tried to manhandle me. They also blocked my car," she explained.
In a video of the incident, a group of men can be seen getting into an argument with Veena George and heckling her.
A television anchor-turned-politician Veena George had defeated Sivadasan Nair of the Congress in 2016. She takes on Sivadasan Nair this time too.
"I don't know why they (Congress) fear me. Because the Election Commission has given all candidates the right to visit polling booths. I don't know what they think would happen if I visited the booths. The Left workers haven’t blocked the candidates of the other parties from visiting the booths," she said, adding that she can identify those who tried to assault her.