LS POLLS

Photo with Tovino: NDA files complaint against Sunil Kumar

Thrissur: Amid the Lok Sabha election campaign, BJP-led NDA on Monday filed a complaint with the district collector against VS Sunil Kumar, the LDF candidate from Thrissur, for allegedly violating the poll code. According to the complaint, Kumar violated the poll code by posting a picture with actor Tovino Thomas, who is an ambassador for the Election Commission's Systematic Voter's Education and Electoral Participation programme (SVEEP).

Ravikumar Uppath, the National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) Thrissur district coordinator, filed the complaint with the district collector, who is also the returning officer for the Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency, alleging that the Left leader misused the actor's photograph to seek votes and, hence, violated the Model Code of Conduct.

The complaint said the Left candidate and workers used the photograph for poll campaigning and asked the returning officer not to allow Kumar to contest the elections.

Sunil Kumar recently met Tovino Thomas at a film set.

The actor later posted on social media, saying he is an ambassador for SVEEP and it is against the law to use his photograph for election campaigning.

"In case somebody is using it, I wish to clarify that it is without my knowledge or consent. Wishing everyone a fair election experience," Tovino said in the post.

After Tovino's social media post made headlines, Sunil Kumar deleted the photograph and told reporters that he was unaware of the actor's role as an ambassador for the Election Commission.

The Thrissur constituency is witnessing a triangular contest among actor-politician Suresh Gopi, who is contesting on a BJP ticket, senior Congress leader and Vatakara MP K Muraleedharan, and former minister and CPI leader Sunil Kumar. 

(With PTI inputs)