Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 19 (AHN) Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Kerala Rathan U. Kelkar on Monday dismissed as baseless the contents of a video shared by the X handle of R.K. Radhakrishnan.

Taking to his official social media handle, Kelkar said he appeared for the hearing in person because his and his family’s names could not be found in the 2002 Kerala electoral list.

He pointed out that this was because he was residing in Bengaluru with his family during that period.

He went on to say that he has since completed the hearing process by submitting all necessary documents.

“It is worth noting that this demonstrates the transparency of our democracy. The fact that even high-ranking officials must follow standard procedures highlights the true beauty of the democratic process,” he said.

“The individual in the video also cited a newspaper report alleging that many people are being intentionally excluded. However, the Election Commission’s policy is to include every eligible individual in the voter list. The claim that it is impossible to verify whether a name exists in the 2002 list is baseless. Since this list is available with the Booth Level Officers (BLOs), there is no room for confusion,” Kelkar said.

Furthermore, the video raises serious allegations that the Election Commission is under the influence of political parties.

“The Election Commission is a constitutional body that functions in a transparent and impartial manner. Therefore, it is requested that baseless and erroneous information should not be disseminated among the public,” he added.

Incidentally, in the video shared by RadhakrishnanRK, PhD, it says, “Yo Gyanesh, why did you remove the name of the top electoral official in Kerala from the voter’s list? Isn’t it nonsensical to claim his name doesn’t figure in the 2002 rolls? Deeply unfortunate that @BJP4India spokespersons will justify even this ridiculous nonsense!”.

The CEO attended the hearing before the Electoral Registration Officer at the Kowdiar village office in response to a notice issued to him.

‘Unmapped’ voters in Kerala number 19.32 lakh in all, according to election officials.