Former Kerala Chief Secretary Claims Gyanesh Kumar Asked Him to Contest on BJP Ticket

Advertisement

New Delhi: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar has been drawn into a fresh controversy following a claim by former Kerala Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson that Kumar had once suggested he contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections as a BJP candidate.

According to Thomson’s account, the alleged conversation took place in 2016 while the two former IAS officers were travelling together on a flight to Delhi. Thomson claimed that during their conversation, which also touched upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kumar asked whether he would be interested in contesting the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Kerala’s Pathanamthitta constituency on a BJP ticket.

Advertisement

Thomson said he immediately declined the suggestion.

The claim has acquired political significance at a time when Gyanesh Kumar is already at the centre of a wider controversy surrounding the functioning of the Election Commission of India.

Also read: Suicide Bombing in Pakistan Kills 11, Injures 30, Watch

Advertisement