Suresh Gopi dismisses voter fraud allegations in Thrissur LS seat

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 17 (IANS) Union Minister and BJP MP from Thrissur, Suresh Gopi, has brushed aside allegations of voter fraud and complaints over a fake affidavit, stating that he is not answerable to such charges.

Speaking to the media in Thrissur on Sunday, the actor-turned-politician maintained a dismissive tone. “Nothing doing,” he said, declining to respond to questions.

“I don’t think I should react to these allegations. The Election Commission will address them in its press conference today. I am a Union Minister; I have no role in this matter,” he remarked.

Mocking reporters, he added, “If the Election Commission takes the issue to the Supreme Court, you go and ask the apex court.”

Gopi also made a veiled attack on the Congress and CPI(M), accusing them of fuelling the controversy to target the BJP.

He was interacting with the press after offering a garland at the statue of Sakthan Thampuran on the occasion of Chingam 1.

The Thrissur police had earlier initiated a probe based on a complaint that Gopi had transferred his vote to Thrissur by filing a false affidavit ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

Adding to the controversy, documents surfaced showing that his brother, Subhash Gopi, was registered as a voter in both Thrissur and Kollam constituencies.

Meanwhile, the BJP is under fire following allegations of large-scale bogus voting in Thrissur during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, particularly in city apartment complexes.

At the Capital Village apartment in Punkunnam, nine fake votes were allegedly registered in Flat No. 4C without the knowledge of the owner.

CPI(M) leaders have alleged serious irregularities in the voter rolls of booths 36 and 37 within the Thrissur Corporation limits. They claim that outsiders were added as flat residents by providing false details, and many names in the rolls belonged to people who no longer lived in the apartments. A spot check by the party found several flats locked and unoccupied.

The controversy has triggered political uproar in Kerala, with the Election Commission expected to provide clarity on the allegations.

--IANS

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