Follow TNM's WhatsApp channel for news updates and story links.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) responded to the allegations of ‘vote theft’ and widespread anomalies in electoral rolls with a counter question: Why do the political parties that now complain not file any complaints earlier?
“If no candidate had a problem even up until 45 days after the election finished, then it is clear to all voters what the intent is,” said Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, when asked about allegations of voter irregularities in Kerala and Karnataka. The press conference was held on August 17, more than a week after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s allegation of electoral malpractice.
In Kerala’s context, with respect to the Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency, the CEC’s claim isn’t true. Both the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Left Democratic Front (LDF) had filed multiple complaints within the stipulated time period highlighting the illegal addition of voters’ list in multiple booths in Thrissur Assembly Constituency.
After the complaints were lodged, the ECI conducted hearings but failed to find illegally added voters who cast their votes. But the ECI hasn’t taken steps to remove the voters who found their way into the lists. A check run by the TNM on the electoral rolls of a booth in Thrissur shows the voters, who were illegally added in 2024, have not been removed even after the 2025 revision.
Complaints by political parties
The LDF filed the first complaint regarding this issue a month before the election. On March 25 in 2024, LDF’s complaint alleged that voters were fraudulently added in the names of persons who are not permanent residents, migrant workers, or even those unknown in the locality.
A month later, on April 24, the UDF filed two complaints highlighting similar allegations. They alleged that people with votes in the Wadakkanchery Assembly Constituency under Alathur Lok Sabha segment were added to electoral rolls in Thrissur. “Booth Level Officers (BLOs), who were responsible for conducting proper field verification to confirm the authenticity of the entries, have shown serious lapses in this regard,” the complaint said.
The UDF’s complaint specifically mentioned the booth numbers - 30,36, and 58, the apartment buildings, and names of the illegally added individuals.
The LDF later filed another complaint alleging the same. They also mentioned booth number 30 (Harishree School, Poonkunnam).
The complaint said the Booth Level Agent (BLA) of booth 30 had requested the BLO to exclude the names that were ‘unlawfully’ included in the voters’ list. These names were recommended for deletion by the earlier BLO, the complaint said. The complaint alleged 44 fake voters were added in booth 30. The complaint also said that fraudulently enrolled voters cast their votes, however, not mentioned any numbers.
A month later, the LDF received a letter. In the reply, the EC said that those who cast their votes were genuine voters. However, it ignored the concerns regarding addition of suspicious names in the list.
The UDF didn't receive a written reply for its complaints.
Booth No 30
The complaints said 11 individuals were added to the voters’ list from the 4C apartment in block 2 of the Capital Village flat in Pookunnam. Their booth number was 30. Only one among them, Prasanna Asokan, was a genuine voter. Prasanna, while speaking to TNM, said Congress workers had sought a complaint from her to be submitted to the authorities no inquiries were made.
The newly revised rolls in 2025 have these same individuals in the 4C address and have votes in booth number 31: Revathi (1192), Maneesh MS (1226), Mukhami Amma (1229), Silja K (1230), Monisha (1235), Santhosh Kumar S (1236), Sajith Babu P (1237), Ajayakumar S (1238), Sukesh (1240), Sudheer (1241), Haridasan (1243).
BLOs role and lapses
Congress workers alleged there were lapses from the side of BLO, who has to verify voter credentials. “The BLO should visit the homes before enlisting their names. Sometimes, they only reach out to the individuals via phone. That might have happened here,” said Ashish Moothedath, president, Thrissur North Congress mandalam.
After they failed to receive a response from the BLO on these additions, they filed a complaint against him before the District Collector on August 13, requesting an inquiry.
According to the ECI, the BLO must conduct house-to-house visits and check for overlaps, migration, transfer or shifting, identification of shifted, dead, or non-existing electors before approving the new voters. They need to verify inclusion and exclusion errors, reviewing spelling details, entries of duplicate names, part header page, photos, and other details of electors in the roll.
TNM spoke to Anand C Menon, who serves as the BLO of booth 30 but he refused to comment, saying he doesn’t want to speak to media. “I already filed a report before the ECI, and they will take further steps regarding this,” he said.
VS Sunilkumar, Communist Party of India (CPI) leader and the LDF candidate for the Lok Sabha polls in Thrissur, has alleged that the ECI ignored their complaints despite filing them within the stipulated time.
“If the election commission wishes to conduct an unbiased inquiry, they have the evidence with them already. But they decided not to. This is a political decision, not a constitutional decision. If the Opposition raises a complaint, a constitutional body cannot respond as a governing power. However, that is what is happening here,” he said.