The BJP had fielded KSurendran from Pathanamthitta, where he finished third with 28.95% of the vote shareThomson also recalled another incident from the early years of his career, when some people approached him with an offer to enter politics.
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CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s UP youth events postponed amid SIR row; ECI denies link to controversy, reasons ‘various factors’ (PTI/File)
New Delhi: In a significant development amid the SIR row, former Kerala Chief Secretary G.GThomson has made a major claimHe alleged that when Gyanesh Kumar was serving as an IAS officer, he had offered him a BJP ticket to contest an electionG.GThomson, while accusing Kumar, said he was asked whether he would be interested in contesting the 2019 Lok Sabha election from Pathanamthitta in Kerala as a BJP candidate.
What did Thomson allege?
According to a local newspaper, he said, “At that time, I was the Chief Secretary of KeralaWe were travelling together on the same flightHe was speaking highly of Prime Minister Modi and clearly asked me whether I was interested in contesting the 2019 general election from Pathanamthitta as a BJP candidateHe tried very hard to persuade me, but I immediately declined.”
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SIR Row: BJP slams Rahul Gandhi after EC releases statement, says Congress’s lies exposed
To recall, in 2019, Congress’s Anto Antony won the Pathanamthitta Lok Sabha seat, while CPI(M)’s Veena George finished secondThe BJP fielded KSurendran from Pathanamthitta, and he finished third with 28.95 per cent of the vote shareThomson also recalled another incident from the early days of his career, when some people approached him about entering politics.
He claimed, “Although I turned down the proposal at that time as well, Gyanesh came to know about it and tried to persuade me to enter politics.”
What did Rahul Gandhi allege?
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi responded by alleging that Kumar had been involved in recruiting people for the BJP before being appointed as an official overseeing electionsHe wrote on social media, “Gyanesh Kumar was a serving IAS officer at the time and was used to recruit for the BJP.”
Opposition parties are demanding Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation and are holding protests in different parts of the countryThe controversy intensified after a report in an English-language newspaper claimed that the other two Election Commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, had repeatedly raised official objections to decisions taken by the Commission.
The report said the objections related to several aspects of the SIR process, including changes to Form 6, the procedure for adding or deleting names from voter lists, and centralised control over the voter database.
EC statement exposed lies and malicious propaganda of Rahul Gandhi on SIR: BJP
The BJP on Saturday said the Election Commission’s latest statement has exposed the “lies” and “malicious propaganda” of the Congress and Rahul Gandhi on the SIR issue.
“Rahul Gandhi was lying and running a malicious propagandaHe is a non-serious politicianThe people of the country do not take him seriously,” BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said.
The remarks came after the Election Commission (EC) on Saturday asserted that all orders related to Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls were issued after approval from all three election commissioners, and the changes in Form 6, through which names are included in the voters’ list, have been upheld by the Supreme Court.
