KOCHI: In a big setback to the UDF, the nominations filed by Ernakulam district panchayat vice-president Elsie George were rejected by the Election Commission during the scrutiny held on Saturday. Elsie, a senior leader of the Congress had submitted her nominations for the newly formed Kadamakudy division. Though the nomination papers were supported by her daughter in law, she belonged to a different division, due to which the nomination was rejected.
The rejection of Elsie’s nominations will lead to a direct fight between the candidates of the CPM and BJP. Meanwhile, DCC president Mohamed Shiyas said the party has submitted an appeal and expressed hope that the issue will be solved.
“When Elsie arrived to submit the nominations there were issues with internet connectivity at the collectorate. They could not verify the documents before filing the nomination. When Elsie came out, another candidate Vivek Haridas pointed out that though the houses of Elsie and her son were adjacent, they belonged to different divisions.
Later Elsie prepared another nomination and arrived at the collector’s office by 2.50 pm to file a new nomination. However, the gunman did not allow them inside,” said Shiyas.
“Elsie had arrived at the office 10 minutes before the deadline and it was officials who misguided and rejected her nomination. We have filed an appeal with the collector and will explore legal and political options against the denial of justice,” he said.