Vote-trade allegations fly thick and fast

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Allegations of

vote trade

have gained momentum in

Vattiyoorkavu

and Konni assembly constituencies with campaigning for bypolls hotting up.


Congress has come out with an allegation that CPM and BJP have reached a secret understanding for vote trade in these constituencies. If K Muraleedharan, MP, was the first to raise this allegation, it was echoed by opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala.

KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran on Tuesday said KPCC has received confirmed reports about vote trade. “We have enough evidence of both the parties arriving at a secret understanding…top leadership of both the parties had a discussion for this vote trade,’’ Ramachandran said.

Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan fumed at the allegations levelled by the KPCC president. “CPM is not a political party to engage in vote trade for petty gains. CPM does not encourage such political dishonesty,’’ Vijayan said.

Congress leaders claimed Kummanam Rajasekharan was not considered for Vattiyoorkavu seat to help CPM candidate V K Prasanth. In return, the CPM will help the BJP candidate in Konni, they said.

Prashanth came out strongly against the allegations. “It is unfortunate that senior party leaders are coming out with such baseless allegations. There are also attempts for character assassination. All such reports are totally baseless. LDF does not need any vote trade to wrest back this seat (Vattiyoorkavu); we are going to win here,’’ Prasanth said.

BJP leadership refuted the allegations. “Both the CPM and the Congress always engage in such claims during elections. Such claims come out of fear that they will lose the seat,’’ said BJP state president P S Sreedharan Pillai.

Rajashekaran also refuted the allegations. “The party wanted a new face to take on the young candidate of CPM,’’ Rajashekaran said.