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Opposition accuses CPM of butchering democracy in Kannur, slams CM

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan on Sunday accused the CPM of using intimidation and goondaism to prevent rival candidates from contesting the local body polls. The CPM is butchering democracy by celebrating victories in Kannur even before the elections, he said in Thiruvananthapuram. Satheesan said CPM workers had threatened people who agreed to contest on UDF tickets, including in the state secretarys own ward. He criticised Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and CPM state secretary M V Govindan for lecturing others on anti-fascism while denying democracy and freedom in their own strongholds. He alleged that the CPMs activities in Kerala resembled a mafia-like pattern, worse than the party-dominated villages once seen in Bengal and Tripura. According to him, a section of election officials functioned like a CPM faction during the scrutiny of UDF nominations in several parts of Kannur district. In Malappattam, Kannapuram and Anthoor, CPM-linked groups threatened UDF candidates, he alleged. He also referred to cases in Ernakulam and Palakkad, including police allegedly delaying a UDF candidate from reaching the returning officer, and a CPM local leader in Attappadi allegedly threatening to abduct a rival candidate. Satheesan further accused the Election Commission of bias for accepting the nomination papers of four CPM candidates employed temporarily with the Khadi Board in Kannur and Kasaragod while rejecting a UDF candidate in Alangad on the same grounds. Satheesan said the UDF would challenge these decisions legally.