Thrissur

A flex board put up by BJP candidate B. Gopalakrishnan in Guruvayur has sparked fresh political buzz, days after his controversial “Hindu MLA” remark.

Installed at a busy junction in the constituency, the board lists the names of MLAs elected from Guruvayur between 1977 and 2021, along with their election years. It also poses a question to voters: who will be the next MLA in 2026.

While the display has been widely seen as an attempt to highlight the electoral history of candidates from a particular community, Gopalakrishnan dismissed the criticism, calling it a simple presentation of the constituency’s political past.

“It is the political history of the constituency. It is the responsibility of a candidate to present the political history of the constituency where he is contesting,” he said.

The development comes shortly after police registered a case against the BJP leader over alleged communal remarks made in a campaign video. In the video, he reportedly claimed that Guruvayur had not elected a “Hindu MLA” for nearly five decades and accused both the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) of not fielding candidates from the community.

Following a complaint by the constituency’s Returning Officer, Guruvayur police booked him under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Representation of the People Act.

The remarks drew sharp reactions, with both the CPI(M) and Congress approaching the Election Commission seeking action. The Congress-affiliated Kerala Students’ Union (KSU) also moved the Kerala High Court, alleging the comments carried communal overtones.

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The High Court, while disposing of the petition on March 27, directed the Election Commission to consider and act on the representation filed by the petitioner within two months.