Kerala: SEC disqualifies three gram panchayat members for defection; Slaps 6-year ban from contesting polls

The Election Commission has disqualified three members of Thidanad and Chittar grama panchayats under the Prohibition of Defection Act. 

Thiruvananthapuram: The State Election Commission (SEC) has disqualified three members of Thidanad and Chittar grama panchayats under the Prohibition of Defection Act. Election Commissioner A.Shah Jahan has disqualified Sabu Joseph and Usha Shashi, members of Thidanad gram panchayat and Saji Varghese, members of Pathanamthitta Chittar gram panchayat. They are also banned from contesting for local-self government bodies for six years.

In the 2015 elections in Thidanad Gram Panchayat, Kerala Congress (M) candidates Sabu Joseph won from the 4th Ward and Usha Sasi from the 14th Ward. The disqualification was brought about by breaching the whip and taking part in the Thidanad Gram Panchayat's President and Vice President's no-confidence motion debate on May 15, 2018. The commission gave its verdict in a case filed by Mini Savio, a member of the 13th ward of Thidanad Gram Panchayat.

Saji Varghese had contested as a Congress candidate from the second ward in the 2020 elections in Chittar gram panchayat. The disqualification was ordered because he violated the whip and contested as a Left candidate in the presidential election held on December 30, 2020, and cast his vote for the LDF candidate in the vice presidential election. The judgment against Saji Varghese is based on the complaint filed by A. Basheer, a member of the 4th ward of Chittar Gram Panchayat.