Piravom poll: CPM alleges irregularities in voters’ list

Friday, February 24, 2012: CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan today charged the UDF of manipulating the voters’ list in the Piravom Assembly constituency for which the by-election is scheduled on March 17.
Addressing the presspersons here on Friday, Pinarayi alleged that the UDF had sent officers to Piravom for manipulating the voters’ list. The voters are being included in the list after flouting the rules, he added.
The by-poll will be the first major trial for the Congress ministry after it rode to power with a wafer-thin margin of 72 seats in the 140-member house in May last year.
The election was necessitated following the death of Kerala Congress (J) leader T M Jacob, who was food minister in the Chandy cabinet. Jacob’s death in October had reduced the elected strength of the UDF in the assembly to 71, including the Speaker, against 68 seats held by the CPI(M)-led LDF opposition.