A view of the Election Commission of India in New Delhi (file)
| Photo Credit: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA
The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala has lodged complaints with the Election Commission of India (ECI) seeking an inquiry into the recent seizure of food kits bearing images of Congress leaders found at Tholpetty in Wayanad district.
The Left front alleges that the kits were intended to be distributed among voters, aiming to sway them in favour of the Congress during the upcoming byelection to Wayanad Lok Sabha seat on November 13.
An election flying squad, acting on a tip-off, confiscated 28 kits from a rice mill connected to a Congress leader at Tholpetty along the Kerala-Karnataka border on Thursday (November 7, 2024). LDF Wayanad district convener and former MLA C.K. Saseendran told The Hindu that the kits were suspected of being “part of an effort to unduly influence electoral outcomes.”
The seized kits, reportedly emblazoned with the images of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the UDF candidate for the Wayanad Lok Sabha bypoll, and Rahul Gandhi, her brother and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, were discovered at a rice mill owned by A. Sasikumar, president of Thirunelly Congress mandalam committee.
The kits included food items and clothing, several of which bore stickers from both the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee and the Wayanad District Congress Committee.
Mr. Saseendran said complaints have been lodged with the ECI and the Wayanad District Collector, requesting a full investigation based on media reports surrounding the incident.
Published – November 08, 2024 02:30 pm IST