Relief for NDA: HC rejects petition seeking cancellation of Rajeev Chandrasekhar's nomination papers

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Tuesday rejected a petition seeking the cancellation of the nomination papers submitted by Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the NDA candidate in Thiruvananthapuram. The court clarified that as the returning officer has already accepted the nomination paper, the petitioners can file a petition after the completion of the election procedure. A bench of Justices VG Arun and S Manu rejected the petition. The Election Commission stated in the court that it has received a complaint in this regard and the Income Tax Department has been informed about the complaint.

Congress leader Avani Benson and Bengaluru native Ranjith Thomas filed the petition. In their petition, the complainants alleged that Rajeev Chandrasekhar had hidden his property details in the affidavit submitted along with the nomination paper and that the District Collector, the returning officer, did not take action despite receiving a complaint in this regard.

The petition claims that this was illegal and action should be taken on the complaint. The petition alleges that Rajeev Chandrasekhar hid the details of his house and car and understated the value of his shares in the affidavit. The petitioners also alleged that Rajeev had hidden this information even when he contested for the Rajya Sabha in 2018.