Kottayam, April 21 : In a major embarrassment to the BJP Kerala Unit and its leaders, Jose K Mani of the Kerala Congress (M) has alleged that BJP traded 7,500 votes to his opponent National Congress Kerala leader Mani C Kappan, who had contested as the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate in Pala Assembly constituency.
Mr Mani, a two-time Lok Sabha MP from Kottayam and Chairman of the Kerala Congress (M), who left the Congress to align with the CPI-M ahead of the election told newspersons here on Tuesday that “Similarly, the BJP allegedly traded their votes to UDF candidates in Kaduthuruthy, Kanjirappally, Poonjar and Changanasserry Assembly Constituencies.
The BJP’s polled votes between 5000 and 7,500, in these five constituencies earlier will come down this time, proving the vote trading, Mr Mani added.
Earlier, Jana Paksham leader PC George publicly admitted that a large number of BJP votes were polled in favour of his party in Poonjar Assembly constituency.
In connection with the April 6 Assembly election, Jose K Mani managed to get 12 seats from the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) including some sitting seats of the CPI-M.
When the party was in the UDF in the 2016 Assembly election, both Jose K Mani, and another faction of Kerala Congress led by PJ Joseph, collectively contested in 15 seats.
This time, Jose K Mani, himself is in the electoral fray, and contested his father’s seat Pala,against sitting MLA and former NCP leader Mani C Kappan, who had wrested the seat in a byelection in 2019 while part of the LDF.
Later, he left the LDF and joined the UDF alliance in January last when he was denied the seat by the CPI-M.
Jose K Mani’s father, late KM Mani, represented the Pala Assembly constituency from 1965 to 2019.
He was a Minister in seven Congress-led Cabinets between 1975 and 2015.(UNI)