Overview
- Veteran CPI(M) leader G. Sudhakaran initially admitted to tampering with 15% of postal ballots in the 1989 Alappuzha Lok Sabha election but later retracted his statement.
- The Kerala Chief Electoral Officer ordered a police probe under the Representation of the People Act and the Indian Penal Code following Sudhakaran’s admission.
- Alappuzha South police registered an FIR on May 16, 2025, and are collecting evidence based on legal advice.
- Sudhakaran claimed his earlier remarks were imaginative and denied involvement in any electoral malpractice, while the CPI(M) dismissed allegations of wrongdoing.
- Opposition parties, including the Congress-led UDF, have called for full accountability, alleging a broader pattern of CPI(M) electoral malpractice.