Union minister Suresh Gopi said on Sunday that it was the Election Commission that should respond to allegations of voter list manipulation in Kerala’s Thrissur during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and not him, The Hindu reported.

His remark came amid the Congress alleging that the Bharatiya Janata Party MP had submitted a false declaration for him to be included in the voters’ list for the Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency during the 2024 general election.

The Congress has also alleged large-scale irregular enrolment of voters in the constituency ahead of the polls, Mathrubhumi reported.

The Congress has also filed a police complaint against Gopi.

The BJP had secured its first-ever Lok Sabha seat in Kerala with Gopi’s victory in Thrissur last year. The actor-turned-politician defeated VS Sunilkumar of the Communist Party of India by more than 74,600 votes.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Gopi claimed that it was the chief election commissioner who should respond to doubts raised about the electoral process, The Hindu reported.

“Why didn’t I respond [to the allegations]? Because it is not my responsibility,” he said. “I am a minister, and I have fulfilled my duties. Those who must reply will reply. If you have more questions, ask them – or wait until the matter comes before the Supreme Court.”

Gopi added: “A few monkeys have jumped out raising allegations. Go and ask them instead.”

The allegations come after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on August 7 said that his party had spent six months examining the electoral rolls in Mahadevapura Assembly segment of the Bangalore Central Lok Sabha constituency and found discrepancies in more than one lakh names.

He alleged that this was evidence of the Election Commission having colluded with the BJP.

The poll panel on Wednesday dismissed Gandhi’s allegations as “false and misleading”.

In a social media post, the poll panel said that any correction, deletion or inclusion in the electoral roll can only be made as per the procedure laid down in law, and that no one can “force” the removal of a person’s name without following due process.

“If any such person actually believes in any of his analysis and allegations of wrongful inclusion of any names, there should be no problem for him in sharing such evidence with the ERO [electoral registration officer] along with the signed declaration and oath [under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960],” the poll panel added.

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