Will K Surendran become BJP’s second MLA after O Rajagopal from Kerala?

THIRUVANTHAPURAM: Reports say the BJP state general secretary K Surendran might become the second MLA from Kerala after O Rajagopal.

He had earlier approached the court saying that there was discrepancy in voting at Manjeswaram constituency where he contested during the 2016 assembly election. He had complained that votes were cast in the name of people who were dead and were out of station. The turning point came when he submitted substantiating evidences in the court.

It is said that Surendran submitted the death certificate of U A Muhammad of Udyawar at the high court. According to this certificate Muhammad died on November 5, 2015, while returning officer P H Sinajudin had come to the high court in person and gave a statement that a vote has been cast on his name in booth number nine in the election held in the month of May 2016. The court had come to the conclusion that Surendran was right in his claim that there was widespread malpractice in the election.

Following this, the court had sent notice to 10 suspicious voters from the constituency to appear in court on June 8 and 9, 2017. Two of these people came to court the other day and confessed that they had not casted votes. Also, concerned officials informed the court that they could not hand over the summons to four of the people because of threats. The court ordered the help of police to hand over summons to these people.

Surendran had appealed that these people were not present during the elections and the election need to be deemed void because vote rigging had happened. Surendran lost to Muslim League candidate P B Abdul Razak in the Manjeswaram constituency by 89 votes in the last assembly election.

Under this circumstance, if Surendran could prove his allegation to be true, there is a chance that the court might deem the election of Abdul Razak as void, and declare Surendran as the victor. If that happens, then Surendran would become BJP’s second MLA from Kerala after O Rajagopal.