Pathanapuram MLA Jyothikumar Chamakkala has strongly rejected allegations made by former LDF minister K B Ganesh Kumar that a tacit understanding existed between the UDF and the BJP in the constituency during the assembly elections. Responding to the allegations, Chamakkala said Ganesh "lost his balance" after facing defeat in the elections. He asserted that electoral figures should be presented factually and not selectively.
"One must speak based on facts while speaking about numbers. I received not only BJP votes but also votes from the LDF. Ganesh points to the fall in BJP votes but conveniently ignores the decline in LDF votes," he said.
Chamakkala claimed that the LDF witnessed an 8% decline in vote share over the past 10 years in the constituency while the UDF registered an increase of around 18,000 votes. He publicly challenged Ganesh to a debate on the voting figures. "Let us sit together and discuss the numbers openly," said Chamakkala.
The controversy erupted after Ganesh pointed out in a Facebook post on Sunday that the NDA candidate secured only 7,031 votes this time, compared with 11,700 votes in 2016 and 12,398 votes in 2021. He also noted that the BJP polled nearly 23,000 votes in the constituency during the local body elections and claimed that the NDA candidate failed to even cross double-digit votes in the assembly elections in several wards won by BJP. Ganesh said the NDA was inactive even during the campaign, indicating that BJP votes shifted in favour of the UDF.
Chamakkala defeated Ganesh in Pathanapuram in what was considered one of the major upsets of the election. The MLA reiterated his stance that the voting patterns reflect a direct shift of support from the LDF to the UDF, rather than any covert arrangement with the BJP.
