The Youth Congress (YC) basking in the glory of the “successfully completed and hard-fought” State-wide organisational election, which spanned almost two months, appeared to suffer a startling political setback on Friday.
Several television channels, quoting unnamed YC sources, broadcast that unregistered electors had used bogus Election Commission of India (ECI) voter ID cards as proof of identity to fraudulently exercise their franchise in the high-profile organisational elections.
Later, Chief Electoral Officer (CEC) Sanjay Kaul told a television news channel that he had sought an explanation from the Youth Congress based on the media reports. He said some political parties had also brought the matter to the CEC’s notice. Mr. Kaul said the accusation was grave and, if true, would invite a criminal prosecution.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Bharatiya Janata Party seized on the imputations to accuse the YC of treason and breach of national security. The DYFI moved the State Police Chief for a criminal investigation.
(An estimated 7.5 lakh people participated in the YC elections that saw the elevation of Rahul Mankootathil as possible State president designate).
CPI(M) State secretary M. V. Govindan said the YC’s alleged use of readily available mobile phone-based applications and Artificial Intelligence driven deep fake technology to forge phoney voter ID cards had caused public anxiety and warranted an ECI and police investigation.
BJP State president K. Surendran posted on X (formerly Twitter) that a Congress faction had resorted to the alleged voter identity fraud to twist the YC elections in the group’s favour.
Mr. Surendran alleged that Congress Working Committee member K.C. Venugopal and Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan “were completely aware of this” and “a Congress MLA” orchestrated the offence.
Under intense barrage from the CPI(M) and the BJP, the YC leadership scrambled to defend the sanctity of its organisational polls.
C.B. Ratheesh, YC returning officer, said the YC had rejected an estimated 2.5 lakh voters whose criteria needed to match. He termed the YC elections transparent and fool-proof. Outgoing YC president Shafi Parambil, MLA, termed the accusation an elaborate lie.
However, the YC seemed to find scarce support from KPCC president K. Sudhakaran. Mr. Sudhakaran said using fake voter ID cards as identity proof in YC elections was unlikely but “not impossible”.
He said the All India Congress Committee would weigh the merit of the allegation, hinting that the national leadership might have received complaints from YC members.
