KOCHI: Pamphlets were circulated stating not to vote for a candidate who is not a believer of Islamic faith and not a member of the Muslim community. Another pamphlet was circulated with an aim of lowering the reputation of Nikesh. The pamphlets were seized by the police and the special squad for detection of violation of the model code of conduct.
Shaji argued that he and his election agent never committed any corrupt practice. He had never shown any affinity towards any religion, but for the past seven years, he was facing threat from the NDF and Jamath Islami which are two religious organisations.
The pamphlet published against Nikesh stated “there is no space for non-Muslims before Allah. It requested Muslim voters to pray to Allah to bless Shaji, a Muslim, who prays five times a day. The court observed that the religion of a candidate cannot be used for political mileage, by seeking votes on the ground of candidates’ religion.