The SFI is the students’ wing of the ruling CPI(M), while the KSU the students’ wing of the opposition Congress.

According to PTI, the KSU alleged sabotage by the SFI during the recounting of votes. The recounting of votes was carried out in the midnight to elect a college chairman.

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KSU claimed that its chairman candidate, Sreekuttan Sivadasan, had won the key post by one vote against the SFI nominee. Sivadasan, who is visually impaired, was in the fray against SFI Anirudhan. KSU was quoted by PTI as saying that Sivadasan had ended the four-decade-long reign of SFI in the college by defeating its candidate in a neck-to-neck race.

Later, the SFI activists demanded a recount of votes, which was finally agreed upon by the management. Though a recounting of votes was held in the evening, it was stopped midway following the protest by KSU activists. The KSU activists alleged that the returning officer (who conducted recounting) was the leader of a pro-Left union.

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However, SFI candidate Anirudhan was declared the winner by a margin of 11 votes when the result of the recounting was announced at midnight, PTI reported on Thursday.

VD Satheesan, a senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, termed the midnight reults a “sabotage” of the democratic victory. He was quoted as saying that Sivadasan’s victory was the victory of the democracy, and it was the decision of the students of the Kerala Varma College.

“But the SFI, which could not accept KSU’s victory, sabotaged it through a midnight recounting. Some politically-biased faculty of the college also supported it,” he alleged. He added, “The power supply had gone twice during the time of recounting, and SFI activists, who rushed to the hall, ‘butchered democracy’ by the time.”

KPCC president K Sudhakaran was quoted by Mathrubhumi as saying that he was informed that the counting was done four times and alleged that there were some irregularities in the counting, the report said.

Meanwhile, the SFI leadership denied the allegations and said they demanded recounting as both candidates garnered equal numbers of votes, PTI reported.

Now, according to a Zee news report, the KSU is likley to file a case in the high court seeking re-election. KSU workers already filed a complaint against the returning officer to the vice chancellor, the report said.

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Updated: 02 Nov 2023, 05:42 PM IST