Congress candidate in the Kannur Lok Sabha constituency K. Sudhakaran has alleged that large-scale bogus voting has taken place in many polling booths and incidents of violence against UDF workers by CPI(M) workers on the polling day on April 23.
Speaking at a press conference here on Wednesday, Mr. Sudhakaran said the process of collecting details of bogus voting, including booth number, names of original voters and video footages, was under way as the UDF was planning to take recourse to the legal battle against those engaged in electoral malpractices.
A complaint would be lodged before the Chief Electoral Officer. Bogus votes had been polled in 94 booths with the help of polling officials. A large number of bogus votes were polled in the Taliparamba, Dharmadam and Azhikode Assembly segments, he said.
Exuding confidence that he would win the election, Mr. Sudhakaran said his margin of victory would depend on the number of bogus votes polled. He alleged that the district administration had set up an election cell filled with officers affiliated to the pro-CPI(M) NGO Union.
The election process had been deliberately delayed at various booths and the polling ended in some booths late at night. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had failed to protect democracy in booths, including his own polling booth and Assembly constituency, Mr. Sudhakaran said.
To a question on the police registering a case against him for posting a campaign video that allegedly humiliated womanhood, the Congress leader said he would approach the High Court to quash the case. There was nothing in the video that humiliated women. If the court found him accused, he would be ready to apologise before the people, he said.