CPI(M) veteran Sudhakaran claims postal ballots were opened during 1989 Alappuzha polls

Alappuzha (Kerala) | veteran and former Kerala Minister G Sudhakaran has allegedly stated that the postal ballots for the Alappuzha Lok Sabha polls in 1989 were unsealed to identify which members of the party-backed NGO union had voted for the opposition party candidate.

A purported video of Sudhakaran making the controversial revelations during a recent NGO union function has gone viral on social media.

In the video, Sudhakaran is heard saying that NGO union members should not cast their votes for rival candidates.

Sudhakaran said that it is not necessary for all NGO members to vote for the party, but those who submit sealed ballots should not assume that "we won't find out" whom they have voted for.

"We will unseal them, verify, and correct them. Even if a case is filed against me for saying this, I don't mind," he is quoted as saying in the video aired by news channels.

He said some NGO union members had cast their votes for opposition candidates.

"When KSTA leader K V Devadas contested for Parliament from Alappuzha, postal ballots were unsealed and examined at the district committee office. It was found that 15 per cent had voted for the opposing candidate. Patching up what's broken isn't difficult," he said.

KSTA is a school teachers' organisation backed by the CPI(M).

It was not clear from the video whether the tampering of postal ballots--after they were unsealed--was carried out by him or his associates during the 1989 Lok Sabha election for the Alappuzha seat.

Sudhakaran said that Devadas had contested against Congress leader Vakkam Purushothaman in that election and lost by 18,000 votes.

However, the Election Commission documents say in the election, Purushothaman secured 3,75,763 votes, defeating CPI(M) candidate Devadas, who received 3,50,640 votes.

Purushothaman won by a margin of 25,123 votes, which accounted for 3.36 per cent of the total valid votes. Neither Sudhakaran nor the CPI(M) has responded to the development.