‘Candidate should not lose a single vote’; Court orders to change Anjali P V to Anjali Nair

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court considered the plea filed by actress Anjali Nair, the T20 candidate in Tripunithura constituency, seeking to change the name on the ballot and voting machine. The actress demanded that Anjali P V is given on the ballot and voting machine and that it should be replaced with Anjali Nair, which is familiar to voters. The high court directed to consider this. Justice P V Kunhikrishnan issued the direction to the district returning officer. The court has also directed Anjali to appear before the returning officer on Saturday.

The court asked isn’t it democratic for a candidate to contest using a name by which they are commonly known. The court also pointed that the candidate should not lose a single vote just because she is not understood.

Anjali Nair had mentioned in her plea that her real name, Anjali P V, is not familiar to voters and this will reduce the votes she should get. Anjali had pointed that her name is Anjali Nair in the election campaign and posters and that if the name is changed on the ballot, voters will be confused. The high court, which considered the plea, issued the direction to the district returning officer after seeking an explanation from the election commission. CPM's K N Unnikrishnan is the Left candidate in Tripunithura and Congress' Deepak Joy is the UDF candidate.