G. Sudhakaran in hot water after Alappuzha ballot tampering allegations

A case was charged against veteran CPI(M) leader and former minister G. Sudhakaran based on his shocking revelation that postal ballots were tampered with in favour of the CPI(M) candidate in the Alappuzha constituency during the 1989 Lok Sabha elections.

 

The case was registered by the Alappuzha South Police following legal advice that a case could be initiated. It has been filed under IPC sections related to forgery, as well as provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, pertaining to the tampering of postal ballots.

 

The former minister made the controversial claim during a gathering of former NGO Union leaders in Alappuzha. Sudhakaran alleged that office-bearers of CPI(M)-aligned service organisations had tampered with postal votes to benefit LDF candidate K. Devadas. Devadas was a leader of the Kerala School Teachers Association (KSTA), a service organisation aligned with the CPI(M).

 

Sudhakaran, who served as the election committee secretary at the time, claimed that around 15 per cent of the votes from the CPIM-aligned service organisations were against Devadas and that the postal ballots received by the party were “verified and corrected.”

 

The CPI(M) in Kerala has long faced allegations of election tampering, and the senior leader’s revelation is expected to put the party on the defensive ahead of the election season in the state.

 

“The votes from service organizations often do not entirely go to the party candidate. Don’t assume that sealed ballots will go unnoticed—we will open them,” Sudhakaran had boasted, adding that he did not care even if the Election Commission took action against him.

 

Notably, as the public statement became controversial, Sudhakaran changed his statement saying that his remarks were made with a touch of imagination. “That comment was a general statement. I said it with a bit of imagination. I have never once opened a ballot. Not a single vote was altered. I have never cast a fake vote or paid money for votes,” he said.

 

Notably, CPI(M) did not come forward to openly defend Sudhakaran.

Kerala’s Chief Electoral Officer Rathan U. Kelkar, IAS, yesterday issued a statement saying the Election Commission of India has taken the media reports quoting G. Sudhakaran’s revelation very seriously.

 

“The alleged act of tampering with and altering postal ballots constitutes a grave legal violation under Sections 136 and 128 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951; the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961; and relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (Indian Penal Code),” he had noted.

 

Kelkar also instructed the Alappuzha District Election Officer to immediately file an FIR, register a case, and initiate a detailed investigation into Sudhakaran’s revelations.

 

Interestingly, Devadas has come forward distancing himself from G. Sudhakaran's controversial remarks. Devadas responded by saying that no postal ballots were tampered with and that he came to know about Sudhakaran’s statement through the media. In the 1989 elections, Devdas lost to Vakkom Purushothaman by a margin of 18,000 votes.

India