No complaints in Keralam about deliberate denial of voting right, says Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan

No complaint has been filed in Keralam regarding a deliberate denial of anyone’s right to vote, Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan said on Friday.

At a post-Cabinet press briefing, the Chief Minister said the United Democratic Front (UDF) had raised certain complaints regarding transparency and simplification of procedures during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

These had been brought to the notice of the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO – Kerala). He said there had been no allegations on the part of either the CPI(M) or the BJP. He attributed the names removed from the voters’ list to absent, dead or shifted voters.

The present allegations against the ECI concerns removal of cores of names. Keralam has not seen complaints filed in this regard unlike States such as Maharashtra, West Bengal or Haryana, he said.

On reports that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had demanded the dissolution of the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies, calling the elections illegal, Mr. Satheesan denied that Mr. Kharge had made such a comment.

Regarding the State government ordering a preliminary inquiry by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in a 20-year-old corruption allegation, he said the order was issued based on a complaint in which Mr. Kumar had been named. He had served as the State’s PWD Secretary. The inquiry was over the suspected death by suicide of Lee See Been, Chief Engineer of an Indo-Malaysian construction company contracted to upgrade MC Road, in Kuala Lumpur in November 2006.

“Only after the investigation, we will be able to find out who are the culprits. Investigation is not a punishment,” said Mr. Satheesan.