Row erupts over allegations that Suresh Gopi voted in Thrissur and Thiruvananthapuram

A fresh controversy has erupted over Union Minister and Thrissur MP Suresh Gopi allegedly casting votes in two different cities — Thrissur during the 2024 Lok Sabha election and Thiruvananthapuram in the Kerala local body polls.

CPI leader V. S. Sunil Kumar on Wednesday (December 10, 2025) alleged that the situation raises serious questions about the integrity of the electoral process. “How did Suresh Gopi manage to vote in Thrissur for the Lok Sabha polls and again in Thiruvananthapuram for the local body elections? How is this even possible? The Election Commission must answer,” he demanded.

Mr. Sunil Kumar pointed out that during the 2024 Lok Sabha election, Mr. Gopi and his family voted in Nettissery of Thrissur after declaring Thrissur as their permanent residence. However, in the local body polls held this week, the Minister and his family reportedly voted in the Sasthamangalam division of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation. “The Election Commission and Suresh Gopi owe the public an explanation,” Mr. Sunil Kumar said.

Thrissur District Congress district president Joseph Tajat accused the Minister of misleading voters in both cities. “By falsely claiming to be a permanent resident of Thrissur during the Lok Sabha polls and then voting in Thiruvananthapuram for the local polls, Suresh Gopi has cheated the people of Thrissur,” he said. “He must apologise to the public and resign as MP.”

Mr. Tajat alleged that the BJP and Mr. Gopi had shown “they are willing to do anything” to win elections. “This exposes his double face. During the Lok Sabha campaign, he told voters he lived in Thrissur, that he belonged to Thrissur, and that he had added his vote here. Now he votes in Thiruvananthapuram. What justification does he have?” he asked.

The Congress leader recalled that Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, had earlier raised allegations of ‘vote chori’ in Thrissur, and the party had formally complained that Mr. Gopi, a resident of Thiruvananthapuram, had improperly registered as a voter in Thrissur. Though an FIR was filed, the case was later closed. “In the light of this new development, the Election Commission must take suo motu action,” Mr. Tajat said.

“The victory he secured was by fully misleading the people,” Mr. Tajat said. “He must come clean and publicly apologise to the people of Thrissur,” he added.