Thrissur: BJP leadership declines to respond to allegations of vote trading after 3 of the party’s candidates met with rejection of their nomination papers. The absence of dummy candidates in these constituencies, add to suspicions of conspiracy further. BJP candidates rejected by Election Commission, include BJP district president in Kannur and Mahila Morcha state president in Guruvayur,
Incidentally, Guruvayur candidate Nivedita has contested from Guruvayur during last Assembly elections, meaning, she is well-versed with nomination filing procedures.
BJP senior O Rajagopal recently revealed how Congress indulges in tie-ups with BJP for elections. The defeated UDF candidate of 2016 elections in Nemom, Surendran Pillai, endorsed vote sale to BJP too and, CK Pamanabhan, MT Ramesh and PP Mukundan have admitted to CoLeBi pact as well.
Given such backdrop, BJP leaving two of its key battlegrounds bereft of candidates does not appear innocent. And the fact that dummy candidates too are missing in these regions deepens suspicions further.
Meanwhile the issue of nomination rejection, is set to worsen clash inside BJP. The question remains, who is answerable for filing defective nomination papers, despite party assurances that votes will not be flipped this time. In normal course, the filing procedures are taken care of by the party’s general secretary. It is a fairly known fact that every nomination paper should carry the state president’s signature. However the state leadership refuses to comment why it was amiss this time.
