Cong alleges BJP's Chandrasekhar hid Rs 200 cr assets; files complaint

Congress candidate K S Sabarinathan is filing an EC complaint against BJP's Rajeev Chandrasekhar for allegedly not disclosing assets worth Rs 200 crore. Congress has demanded his disqualification, while Chandrasekhar calls the claims 'lies'.

Complaint Over Asset Disclosure

Congress leader and United Democratic Front candidate from Kerala's Nemom Assembly constituency, K S Sabarinathan on Tuesday said that he is filing a complaint with the Election Commission of India against Rajeev Chandrasekhar, alleging non-disclosure of Rs 200 crore worth of assets by the BJP leader.

"Yesterday, I filed the nominations. This morning, there is a scrutiny process for the Kerala Assembly elections at 11 am. There are serious allegations against BJP leader Chandrasekhar regarding his assets and declaration in the form so the UDF and Congress, and me as their candidate we are formally approaching the EC during the scrutiny process and further details along with evidences will be presented ...." Sabarinathan said.

Details of the Allegation

The BJP Kerala President and former Union Minister Chandrasekhar is the party's candidate from the Nemom, which is part of the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency. Congress Kerala had yeterday posted on its X platform that Chandrasekhar "has not disclosed his residence, a 49,000 sq.ft mansion in Koramangala 3rd Block, Bengaluru, in his affidavit."

"This is a 1.07 acre property in one of the most expensive locations in the country, where many Indian billionaires live. Land here costs around ₹35,000 to ₹50,000 per sq.ft or more. By a fair estimate, the land value alone could be around ₹200 crore," the INC Kerala said.

Along with the allegation, the Congress party has posted a copy of the property tax receipt of the property on its X social media platform. Further, it said that Chandrasekhar "is a habitual offender and appears to believe he can mislead the Election Commission of India repeatedly. His affidavit even suggests that he owns no residential property or car despite being a billionaire businessman."

"We request you to intervene in this matter and disqualify the candidate as per the People's Representation Act. Otherwise, it's only fair for the public to question whether the office is acting impartially," the Congress party said. Dear @Ceokerala, BJP candidate from Nemom constituency, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, has not disclosed his residence, a 49,000 sq.ft mansion in Koramangala 3rd Block, Bengaluru, in his affidavit. This is a 1.07 acre property in one of the most expensive locations in the country, where… pic.twitter.com/pyyzD5Sft7 — Congress Kerala (@INCKerala) March 23, 2026

Chandrasekhar Dismisses Claims

Chandrasekhar, on his part, has dismissed the Congress allegations as "imaginary lies" "They are a party that is simply an incorrigibly stupid party that only relies on lies and innuendo instead of putting forth a good vision for the people of Kerala. I can only advise them that bring on whatever you can, bring on your best against me. You have tried this for the last 15 years against me, from 2010. I have dealt with each one of your attacks on me decisively, and I can assure you that the more you throw stuff at me, the more determined I will be to defeat you...Everything I have done in my life, I have done openly and transparently," he told ANI on Monday.

Separate Controversy Over EC Letter

Meanwhile, the presence of a seal of the BJP Kerala unit on a 2019 Election Commission of India letter on poll-related guidelines, which was distributed to political parties recently, sparked a row in the State yesterday on the final day for submitting nominations for the April 9 Assembly polls in the State.

"Is the election commission's seal in the BJP's office or is the BJP's seal in the election Commission's office. That much only we need to know. They are very heavily compromised. Today when the UDF candidate is going before them for the scrutiny we have to hope that that there will be no further compromise," Sabarinathan said.

The Chief Electoral Officer (Kerala), however, attributed the issue to a "clerical error" and added that corrective measures had been taken. It issued a clarification in the matter and also placed under suspension an Assistant Section Officer in the office of the Chief Electoral Officer.

Electoral Context of Nemom Constituency

The BJP had won its first-ever MLA seat in Kerala from the Nemom constituency in 2016 with the victory of O Rajagopal. However, in the 2021, elections BJP's Kummanam Rajasekharan lost the seat to CPI (M)'s V Sivankutty, who is currently a minister in the ruling Chief Minster Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left Democratic Party (LDF) government. Congress candidate K Muraleedharan came in third position in that contest.

Sabrinathan, a former MLA and the son of late veteran Congress leader and former Assembly Speaker G Karthikeyan, had on March 23 filed his nomination to contest the upcoming polls to the 140-seat Kerala Assembly. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)