Anurag Thakur's vote fraud allegations at Wayanad refuted by residents, verifications

Wayanad (Kerala), Aug 14 (IANS) A day after senior BJP leader and former Union Minister Anurag Thakur alleged bogus voting in Kerala’s Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, residents of the area have come out to clarify that the accusations are not true and verifications have also been made on the ground, proving them wrong.

Anurag Thakur claimed that in the Kalpetta Assembly segment, over 4,000 voters from different religious communities were registered under the same household name, “Chounderikunnu.”

However, on Thursday residents of Varadoor, where the controversy is centered, have dismissed the allegations as baseless.

They explained that “Chounderikunnu” is a traditional house name used historically by multiple families across different religious communities — Hindu, Christian, Muslim, Scheduled Castes, and Scheduled Tribes, who live in separate homes, not a single residence.

Mary and Valliyamma, two residents clarified that they reside in separate properties within Varadoor-Chounderi locality.

The locals pointed out that the house name tradition is centuries old, with no link to electoral malpractice.

Wayanad District Panchayat President, Shamshad Marakkar, said Anurag Thakur’s remarks were misleading.

“This is my home area. People here — Hindus, Muslims, Christians, SCs and STs — have used the name 'Chounderikunnu' for generations. That does not mean they live under one roof. To call this voter fraud is absurd,” said Marakkar.

Kalpetta MLA T. Siddique also dismissed the claims, noting that AICC General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had won the recent bye-election — held after Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi resigned from the seat — with an even larger margin than her brother's previous victory.

“The BJP leader's accusations have no relevance in Wayanad. Priyanka increased the Congress majority beyond four lakh votes. There is no basis for the BJP’s allegations,” said Siddique.

Thakur’s voter fraud charges, intended to question the Congress’ dominance in the constituency, have now been largely debunked through on-ground verification and statements from community members.

In another instance it was pointed out that a voter named Mymoona had been fraudulently registered to vote in three separate polling booths in the Eranad Assembly segment — Booth Nos. 115, 135, and 152.

However, on Thursday that also was proved wrong as it has been found out that the “three votes” did not belong to the same person, but to three different women who happen to share the same name. All three reside in different panchayats and have only one vote each in their respective localities.

--IANS

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