Thiruvananthapuram, March 24 The Congress and CPI(M) in Kerala alleged that BJP state chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar had concealed details about his high-value property in Bengaluru in the affidavit he submitted with his nomination papers for the April 9 Assembly elections.
Both the ruling CPI(M) and opposition Congress announced a legal battle against Chandrasekhar over the matter, as the Returning Officer for the Nemam constituency accepted the BJP leader's nomination despite the allegations and complaints.
Chandrasekhar, however, asserted that the allegations were baseless and challenged his political opponents to approach the court.
The BJP has fielded Chandrasekhar in the high-profile Nemom constituency against CPI(M) leader and general education minister V Sivankutty and former Congress MLA K S Sabarinathan.
After the scrutiny, Chandrasekhar's nomination was accepted notwithstanding the complaint filed against him, official sources said.
Reacting to the move, Sabarinathan said that the Returning Officer is a quasi-judicial authority and lacks the jurisdiction to decide on such issues.
He added that the matter would now be taken forward through appropriate legal avenues.
Sharing similar views, KPCC General Secretary and Congress Nemom constituency core committee chairman Manakkad Suresh alleged that valuable immovable property located in Koramangala, Bengaluru, was deliberately concealed in the candidate's affidavit.
Citing available documents, he claimed there were clear discrepancies between the affidavit published on the Election Commission website and the property tax records of the Karnataka government.
In a statement, Suresh further said the Constitution guarantees voters the right to know complete details about candidates, and such alleged non-disclosure undermines the very foundations of democracy.
Soon after the acceptance of Chandrasekhar's nomination, Sivankutty also announced that he would initiate legal proceedings against the BJP candidate in this regard.
In a Facebook post, Sivankutty alleged that the non-disclosure of properties worth crores of rupees in the affidavit submitted by the candidate amounted to a serious betrayal of voters.
He claimed that despite the emergence of tax records indicating ownership of a luxury residence in Bengaluru, the property was not declared in the affidavit, terming it a deliberate attempt to subvert the democratic process.
The minister also pointed out that the same house had been listed as the candidate's residence during the previous Lok Sabha elections, and questioned the omission of the asset details now, calling it suspicious and unlawful.
Stating that such actions are punishable under the Representation of the People Act, Sivankutty said that he would file a strong election petition in the matter.
He also urged voters in Nemom to stand against corruption and uphold transparency and integrity in public life.
Chandrasekhar, however, hit back and accused the Congress of resorting to falsehoods to fight elections. He also launched a sharp attack on the Congress leadership, referring to past controversies and criticising senior leaders.
The BJP leader further alleged that state minister Sivankutty had been repeatedly making personal attacks against him.
"This is not a new allegation. During the time of every election, they come up with such allegations," he said, adding that people don't want controversies but want development.
When reporters asked about the acceptance of his nomination, the BJP state chief took a dig at the Congress party and said they may feel sad.