Kerala election heats up: Rs 200 crore property row - BJP's Chandrasekhar dares Congress to move court

A dispute over asset disclosures has emerged in Kerala days before the Assembly elections.

The Congress has alleged that Kerala BJP chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar concealed details of a high-value property in Bengaluru in his election affidavit, a charge he has denied.

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The Congress has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission, claiming that the BJP candidate did not disclose a property valued at around Rs 200 crore.

However, Chandrasekhar rejected the allegation, calling it baseless and challenging the Congress to prove it in court.

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What the allegation is against Chandrasekhar

Congress leader and former MLA K S Sabarinathan, who is contesting from the Nemom constituency, said the issue would be formally raised during the scrutiny of nominations.

"As per the allegations, he has not disclosed his Rs 200 crore-worth property in the affidavit. We have studied about it, and we will raise this during the scrutiny," he said, adding that the party expected the Election Commission to act on its complaint.

The allegation centres on whether all assets, including properties held outside Kerala, have been fully declared as required under election rules.

Chandrasekhar denied any concealment and accused the Congress of raising unsubstantiated claims during elections. "This is not a new allegation. During the time of every election, they come up with such allegations," he said, asserting that voters were more focused on development than controversies.

He also challenged the Congress to pursue legal action if it could substantiate the charge, questioning whether it had "the spine" to take the matter to court.

CPI(M) leader V Sivankutty, the sitting MLA and a minister, did not fully endorse the Congress's claims, saying any objection must be backed by evidence at the time of scrutiny.

"There are rumours that he has not disclosed even 25 per cent of his actual assets in the affidavit. But when we raise the issue before the returning officer, we should have supporting documents. The Congress may have that," he said.

He added that the Left party did not want the nomination to be rejected on technical grounds and preferred that the contest proceed.

Why Nemom matters

The dispute has surfaced in the high-profile Nemom constituency, where Chandrasekhar is contesting against CPI-M's Sivankutty and Sabarinathan.

The Kerala Assembly has 140 seats, and polling is scheduled for April 9.