Election squad seizes food kits with images of Priyanka, Rahul in Wayanad

Kits seized from a rice mill owned by a Congress leader at Tholpetty. Minister Kelu says election commission will be alerted on the issue

An election flying squad on Thursday evening seized food kits from a rice mill of a Congress leader at Tholpetty, located on the Kerala-Karnataka border.

The kits, emblazoned with the images of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the UDF candidate for the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, and Rahul Gandhi, her brother and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, were found in the rice mill owned by A. Sasikumar, the president of the Thirunelly Congress mandalam committee.

Some of those kits, which contained food and clothes, featured stickers of both the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee and the Wayanad District Congress Committee.

Sathyan Mokeri, a veteran CPI leader and LDF candidate for the Wayanad constituency, alleged that the kits were intended to be distributed to voters to unduly influence them during the elections. Tribal Minister O.R. Kelu stated that the matter would be brought to the attention of the Election Commission.

T. Siddique, working president of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), clarified that the kits had been collected months ago for distribution to flood survivors and were temporarily stored in the rice mill due to the prevailing code of conduct in the district. Officials confirmed that the kits would be handed over to the Thirunelly police.

Published - November 07, 2024 08:57 pm IST