In the lead-up to the local body elections in Kochi, Kerala, concerns have been raised by the Indian National Congress regarding potential electoral fraud involving the manipulation of voter rolls. As the final electoral rolls are scheduled for publication on November 14, 2025, the Congress party has accused certain individuals and groups of attempting to illegally add bogus voters to the lists, thereby threatening the integrity of the electoral process within the Kochi Corporation limits.
Mohammed Shiyas, president of the District Congress Committee (DCC), brought attention to what he described as deliberate efforts to “sneak in” fraudulent voters. According to Shiyas, these efforts include submitting applications that use identical house numbers but different house names, supported by forged rental agreements. The alleged tactic is to create the appearance of legitimate residency in multiple locations, enabling the unlawful registration of voters who do not genuinely reside in those addresses. Shiyas emphasized that these applications are often linked to supposed employees of various local establishments, adding a layer of sophistication to the fraudulent schemes.
Shiyas further noted that when some of these suspicious applications were challenged and hearings were scheduled, the applicants failed to appear, which raised further doubts about the legitimacy of their claims. He expressed frustration with the election authorities, stating that despite the Congress flagging approximately 6,500 duplications in the previously published electoral rolls, the authorities have not clarified what actions are being taken to address these issues. The Congress has committed to thoroughly vetting the final voters’ list and intends to file formal complaints wherever discrepancies are identified.
Adding to these allegations, Henry Austin, a Congress councillor, highlighted specific instances of fraudulent voter enrolment in the Vaduthala East division. Austin revealed that photocopies of just four stamp papers dated between June and November 2024 were used to create 15 different rental agreements. These agreements were then submitted as proof of residence for 60 individuals purportedly employed by local businesses across five polling booths within the division. Election officials, upon conducting site visits, rejected 18 of these applications when they failed to verify the applicants’ residential claims. Austin also pointed out that some of the individuals fraudulently enrolled as voters were residents of distant districts such as Alappuzha, Kannur, and Thrissur, as well as from other assembly constituencies like Vypeen, Kochi, Ernakulam, and Aluva, further highlighting the scale and geographic spread of the malpractice.
In a related development, residents of the Athani and Health Centre wards in the Thrikkakara municipality came forward with complaints about forged voter registration applications submitted in their names. On November 11, 2025, these residents filed a petition with the municipal secretary, who also serves as the electoral registration officer. They alleged that fraudulent applications had been made using their personal details, including their names, house names, and serial numbers in the voters’ list. These forged applications sought to transpose approximately 120 votes—30 from each ward—out of their original divisions, without the petitioners’ knowledge or consent. The residents clarified that they had not submitted any applications for transposition (Form 7) or for deletion (Form 5), indicating that the submissions were entirely unauthorized.
The Thrikkakara municipal authorities responded promptly, confirming that the fraudulent applications would be immediately rejected since the applicants themselves acknowledged that the claims were false. However, officials admitted that identifying and tracking down the individuals responsible for filing these bogus applications would be a challenging task, reflecting the complexities involved in policing electoral fraud at the grassroots level.
These incidents have cast a shadow over the local elections in Kochi, with the Congress party voicing serious concerns about the potential impact of voter list manipulations on the democratic process. The allegations point to a broader issue of electoral integrity, underscoring the need for vigilant oversight and robust mechanisms to prevent and detect fraud in voter registration. As the final electoral rolls are set to be published imminently, both political parties and election authorities face increasing pressure to ensure that the lists are accurate and free from illegal entries.
The situation in Kochi reflects ongoing challenges in managing voter registration in India’s vibrant but complex democracy. The use of forged documents and fraudulent applications to inflate voter numbers or manipulate the distribution of votes can undermine public confidence in elections and skew results. Vigilance by political parties, election officials, and civil society is essential to safeguard the fairness and credibility of the electoral process.
In summary, ahead of the local body polls in Kochi, the Congress