BJP leader K Surendran has said that hereon he is not responsible for the delay in Manjeswaran by-election and delay in the trial of case related to the byelection.

Facebook post:

“I’ve decided to withdraw from Manjeswaram by-election case as I didn’t want people to suffer due to absence of an MLA in that constituency. The decision was taken with this good intention. The case went through a very complicated procedure. The BJP lost election there for just 89 votes.

Despite the attempts made by CPM, League and Revenue/panchayat/police officers jointly to sabotage the case, the legal system here has been able to prove bogus voting. When it was about to be proved, the defence counsel argued that they won’t produce witnesses in the bogus voting case. Though the court sought the help of the police to produce witnesses, Pinarayi police didn’t cooperate. Many persons involved in the case were in the Gulf on the day of the election. Though immigration documents in this regard were submitted in the court, they could not be examined in the court as they were absent. It was then I decided to withdraw the case through a mutual agreement with an opposite party.

But then the Muslim League asked for court expense with the only ill intention to delay the by-election. This is not at all acceptable. Hence, the League is totally responsible for delay in the trial of the case and in the conduct of the by-election…” he explained on his Facebook post.