On Thursday, the Congress heaved a sigh of relief after the Kerala High Court dismissed a plea to invalidate the election of party veteran and former Excise Minister K. Babu, the incumbent MLA from the Thripunithara constituency in the 2021 Assembly elections.
CPI(M) leader M. Swaraj had moved the court against Mr. Babu, who defeated him by 992 votes. He accused his rival of using the picture of the main deity of the Sabarimala temple, Ayyappa, for electioneering purposes.
The Assembly elections had unfolded in the political aftermath of the Save Sabarimala campaign. Both the BJP and the UDF had made the protection of faith agitation against the Supreme Court-sanctioned entry of women to the temple an emotive election issue.
Mr. Swaraj argued that Mr. Babu marred the election process and violated the Representation of People Act by using religious symbols and images for campaigning.
He claimed that many of his constituents were Ayyappa believers. Mr. Babu’s alleged gambit of using the deity’s image for election propaganda might have marred his prospects. However, the High Court upheld Mr. Babu’s election and dismissed Mr. Swaraj’s plea.
Mr. Babu told reporters in Thrissur that he felt vindicated. He said the CPI(M) had falsely fabricated election slips and witness statements to blemish his victory.
Mr. Swaraj termed the verdict “strange”. He said he would challenge the decision in the Supreme Court. Mr. Swaraj claimed that the Election Commission of India (ECI) had taken cognisance of the election slips featuring the deity’s image and the Congress symbol allegedly distributed by Mr. Babu’s campaign team. Mr. Swaraj said the CPI(M) had also submitted FB posts by Mr. Babu’s supporters as evidence.
Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan said the HC verdict was a slap on the face of those who used lies and propaganda to tarnish the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF).
He said the CPI(M) had failed to acknowledge Mr. Babu’s hard-fought victory. Instead, it sought to sink it via court cases and malicious propaganda. He added that the High Court had held up the People’s Court’s verdict.
