A leader of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has been booked for allegedly offering a 15-day trip to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to members of a booth committee, where the United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate secures the highest number of votes.
The case has been registered against IUML state vice-president Bava Haji of Mangalam in Malappuram, a report in news agency PTI said.
The United Democratic Front (UDF) is the Congress-led alliance of political parties in Kerala. It is one of the two major political alliances in Kerala, the other being the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front. The IUML is a member of UDF.
Assembly Elections are due in Kerala on 9 April – with vote counting scheduled for 4 May.
According to police, during a convention held on 22 March, Haji, while campaigning for Congress leader V S Joy, allegedly announced a 15-day trip to the UAE for members of the UDF booth committee that delivers the maximum votes.
The matter was first reported to the Election Commission by LDF representatives. Following an inquiry, the Commission found it to be a violation of the Model Code of Conduct, police said.
The Model Code of Conduct (MCC) is a set of guidelines published by the Election Commission of India (EC) for political parties and candidates to set standards of conduct during the election campaign and polling. Offering foreign trips is considered an act of bribing candidates ahead of elections
Based on the Commission's direction, Tirur police registered a case under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Representation of the People Act, officials said.
Police said Haji would be summoned for questioning as part of the investigation.
Authorities have also recovered video footage of the convention in which the IUML leader allegedly made the offer, they added. In Thavanur, Joy is contesting against LDF-backed independent K T Jaleel, while the BJP has fielded Ravi Thelath.
Offering foreign trips is considered an act of bribing candidates ahead of elections.
In 2021, the Kerala assembly election saw the incumbent Left Democratic Front (LDF) registering a historic win, retaining power with 99 seats, eight more than in the previous election. It was the first time an alliance had won consecutive terms in the state since 1977.
The United Democratic Front (UDF) won the remaining 41 seats, 6 fewer than in the previous election. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) received a dip in vote share and lost its lone seat.
