2 women caught on camera casting bogus votes in Kerala

Television channels in Kerala on Saturday aired the visuals of two women casting their votes twice at two polling booths in Kasaragod Lok Sabha constituency, which went to the polls along with 19 other parliamentary seats in the state in the third phase of Lok Sabha elections on April 23.

Rajmohan Unnithan, the Congress candidate from Kasaragod, said that casting bogus votes was nothing new and has been the order of the day, especially in CPI-M dominated areas.

"We have been saying this for a while now, but nothing has happened. Appropriate action should be taken against such undemocratic acts," said Unnithan, who's contesting against former legislator and senior CPI-M leader K.P. Satishchandran from Kasaragod.

K. Sudhakaran, former MP and Congress candidate from Kannur, said he was the least surprised by the visuals of bogus polling because he has been a victim of this in the past.

"Bogus voting is a common practice in Kannur and Kasaragod, which is practiced freely by the CPI-M. On Tuesday, we had informed the District Collector about widespread bogus polling to which he said he was looking into the matter. But like always, no action has been taken against such activities. We are now collecting more information and would take the legal course," said Sudhakaran.

The Chief Electoral Officer of the state, Tikka Ram Meena, told the media that follow-up actions have been initiated and there was nothing to worry about.

"The whole purpose of having webcasting on polling day is meant to tackle this (bogus voting). As soon as we receive an official complaint, we will do what needs to be done," said Meena.

The leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala said: "We will take appropriate legal steps. The officials who were party to such rigging should also be taken to task. We had cautioned the election officials of such unlawful practices much before the polling day, but the authorities didn't take any action."

--IANS

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