Name deletion: Kerala HC tells SEC to consider Vyshnas plea

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Monday directed the State Election Commission to consider the appeal filed by Vyshna Suresh , the Congress candidate for the Muttada division of the Thiruvananthapuram corporation, against the deletion of her name from the voters list, and to pass an order on or before November 19. Justice P V Kunhikrishnan made it clear that a 24-year-old woman should not be denied her right to participate in the election on mere technical grounds. In these types of cases, the winner should be democracy and not technicality or party politics, the court observed. The court directed Vyshna and the complainant, Dhaneesh Kumar, of Palayam, who raised objection to the inclusion of her name in the voters list, to appear before the State Election Commission for a hearing on November 18. The order was issued on a petition filed by Vyshna challenging the deletion of her name. According to the petitioner, she and her family were included in the draft voters list published on September 29. However, she alleged that Dhaneesh, branch secretary of the CPM, raised a baseless objection after her candidature was announced, claiming she was not an ordinary resident of the Muttada ward. She stated that no documents were produced by him to support his objection. The petitioner submitted her voter ID issued by the State Election Commission, Aadhaar card, and driving licence. All these documents, she contended, clearly show that she is a resident of erstwhile ward 3 and the present ward 18.