Keralam to take steps to tap Central projects: V.D. Satheesan

Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan of Keralam stated on Friday that there have been no complaints filed regarding the deliberate denial of anyone's right to vote in the state. During a press briefing, he mentioned that the United Democratic Front (UDF) had raised some concerns about transparency and simplification during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters' list.

These grievances were reported to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Kerala. Neither the CPI(M) nor the BJP had made any allegations. The names removed from the list were attributed to absent, dead, or shifted voters.

Satheesan highlighted that unlike states like Maharashtra, West Bengal, or Haryana, Keralam has not witnessed any such complaints about the Election Commission of India. He also dismissed reports that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had called for the dissolution of the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies, labeling the elections as illegal. Kharge had made no such statement, according to Satheesan.

Furthermore, Satheesan denied that the Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, had been ordered by the State government to undergo a preliminary inquiry by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) regarding a 20-year-old corruption allegation. The inquiry was initiated based on a complaint where Kumar was named as a suspect.

Kumar had once held the position of State’s PWD Secretary. The probe pertains to the alleged suicide of Lee See Been, the Chief Engineer of an Indo-Malaysian construction company that undertook the upgrade of MC Road in Kuala Lumpur in November 2006. Satheesan emphasized that while the investigation was ongoing, it was not a form of punishment, but rather a necessary step to uncover the responsible parties.