Opposition leader in Kerala alleges CPM role in Payyannur BLO suicide case

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Leader of the Opposition in Kerala, V.D. Satheesan has alleged that CPM had a 'role' in the suicide of booth-level officer Aneesh George in Payyannur. He said the CPM leaders threatened the BLO for taking the Congress BLA along for SIR-related activities. He added that the pressure of this threat and the stress due to workload pushed the officer to end his life. He demanded a serious and convincing investigation by the government and said that the Election Commission should study the issue with greater seriousness. He said BLOs across the State have been reporting heavy workload. Most of them are women who struggle to complete the assigned tasks. They must visit each house three times, and each booth has between 700 and 1500 voters. He alleged that both the BJP and CPM are trying to misuse the SIR system to prevent UDF-supported votes from being added. According to him, the BJP implements SIR with malicious intent, and CPM carries out the same intent in another manner in Kerala. He said the UDF will resist such attempts and will challenge any disruption of honest poll procedures both politically and legally. BLO dies by suicide in Kannur; family blames pressure from SIR work The opposition leader said the BJP has witnessed two suicides and one suicide attempt recently. He said the suicide notes refer to financial dealings involving BJP leaders. He also asserted that senior BJP leader M S Kumar has raised grave allegations against the party leadership, and veteran leaders too have made serious charges against the new leadership. He alleged that CPM is trying to establish links with the BJP in Thiruvananthapuram at a time when the party is embroiled in allegations and financial dealings. He said two former CPM leaders, who were a block panchayat president and a Deshabhimani bureau chief, have made serious allegations against Kadakampally Surendran. Senior leaders who left the party have alleged that the former minister is a BJP agent. He said CPM has fielded a person who used to be in RSS as the LDF candidate in Pangode ward. Kerala SIR: ECI receives first filled-out enumeration form from tribal voter He alleged CPM has stepped in to help BJP in Thiruvananthapuram as the party weakens. He described this as the latest example of what he called the BJP-CPM illicit nexus. He also alleged that in Thrissur, the Chief Minister asked ADGP M R Ajith Kumar to hold talks with RSS leader Hosabale to help the BJP win, which also affected the Pooram. On Vyshna Suresh's issue, he said she is a voter in the ward where she is contesting. Her name was removed from the voter list due to an incorrect house number. He said she produced clear evidence during the hearing and is not a bogus voter. He alleged that the complainant has multiple votes and that both CPM and BJP are trying to tamper with the voter list. He warned that the Election Commission must not support what he described as a vile attempt to remove her name in anticipation of her candidature. He pressed that the commission must make her eligible to vote.