The run-up to the local body elections in Kerala has taken a tense turn, with the CPM facing two serious allegations of threatening rival candidates. In Palakkad, an independent candidate has accused a CPM leader of threatening to kill him. In Pathanamthitta, a temporary worker claims she was warned she and others would lose their jobs if she contested as a UDF candidate. Both allegations are backed by purported audio clips released by the complainants.

What happened in Palakkad?

In Palakkad’s Attappady, Ramakrishnan, the independent candidate from ward number 18 of Agali panchayat, alleged that CPM local secretary Jamsheer threatened to kill him if he contested the election. Ramakrishnan, a former CPM Attappady area secretary who later left the party, released an audio clip of the phone

See Full Page