KOCHI: The High Court on Monday sought the views of the State Election Commission on a petition filed by Twenty20 general secretary Augustine Antony, challenging the recommendation to fix a polling booth for the upcoming LSG election at Madrasathul Islamiya in Kummanod ward, Kizhakambalam panchayat.
The suggestion to fix the mosque, along with Government UP School, Kummanod, as polling stations in ward no. 7 was made during a meeting convened by the panchayat.
Representatives of the Twenty20 party, however, objected to the proposal, arguing that the site is a ‘niskara palli’ (a place of religious worship), which is prohibited from being used as a forum for election-related activities.
They further highlighted that in the 2020 panchayat elections, widespread violence had occurred at the said polling station, leading to its subsequent exclusion from use in the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections held in 2021 and 2024.
Although it was discussed in the meeting that an anganwadi could be considered as an alternative and that the proposed polling station would be subject to further verification, this was not reflected in the minutes.