Kerala Assembly Elections 2026: A political controversy has erupted in Kerala ahead of the Assembly elections after the nomination of Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the state chief of Bharatiya Janata Party, was accepted despite allegations of concealing details of a high-value property in Bengaluru.
Both the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the opposition Indian National Congress have alleged discrepancies in the affidavit submitted by Chandrasekhar along with his nomination papers for the April 9 Assembly polls. The Returning Officer for the Nemom constituency cleared his nomination after scrutiny, even as complaints were raised by rival parties.
Opposition Alleges Non-Disclosure, Plans Legal Action
Congress leader K S Sabarinathan said that the Returning Officer, being a quasi-judicial authority, does not have the jurisdiction to adjudicate such disputes and that the issue would now be pursued through legal channels.
Echoing the charge, KPCC General Secretary Manakkad Suresh alleged that a valuable immovable property in Koramangala had not been declared in the affidavit. He claimed there were inconsistencies between the documents submitted to the Election Commission and property tax records maintained by the Karnataka government, adding that such omissions undermine voters’ right to full disclosure.
Meanwhile, CPI(M) leader and state minister V Sivankutty also announced plans to initiate legal proceedings, alleging that the non-disclosure of assets worth crores amounted to a breach of public trust. He further argued that the omission was suspicious, particularly as the same property had reportedly been declared in earlier elections.
BJP Rejects Charges, Calls Allegations Baseless
Responding to the accusations, Chandrasekhar dismissed them as politically motivated and challenged his opponents to seek legal recourse if they believed wrongdoing had occurred.
“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.
The BJP has fielded Chandrasekhar in the high-profile Nemom constituency, where he faces a triangular contest against Sivankutty and former Congress MLA K S Sabarinathan. Despite the row, his nomination stands, setting the stage for a closely watched electoral battle as legal proceedings loom over the issue.