Kerala Assembly Elections 2026: case registered against BJP candidate in Guruvayur B. Gopalakrishnan over alleged Model Code of Conduct violation

A case has been registered against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State vice-president and party’s candidate in the Guruvayur Assembly Constituency B. Gopalakrishnan by the Guruvayur temple police for his alleged communal remark in a campaign video.

Sources said the case had been registered following the intervention of the Election Commission of India (EC). Acting on the instructions of Chief Electoral Officer (Kerala) Rathan U. Kelkar, the Thrissur District Collector initiated action against Mr. Gopalakrishnan for alleged violation of the Model Code of Conduct.

The case was registered under BNS Section 192 and Section 125 of the Representation of the People Act, according to the police. BNS Section 192 refers to wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot while Section 125 of the Representation of the People Act refers to promoting enmity between classes in connection with election. The case was registered based on a complaint by the returning officer for the Guruvayur constituency.

In the controversial campaign video, Mr. Gopalakrishnan purportedly said that the Guruvayur constituency had not elected a “Hindu MLA” for nearly five decades and alleged that both the Left and the Congress-led fronts had not been fielding candidates from the community. He alleged in the video that Guruvayur, the “land of Lord Guruvayurappan,” had been in the hands of “temple thieves” for the past five decades.

Following the Collector’s direction, the video has been removed from social media platforms.

Strongly criticising his remarks, Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan said he was not surprised as BJP leaders always sought votes by attempting to divide people in the name of religion and caste. He said Kerala was known for its communal harmony, and that’s why constituencies like the Muslim-dominant Ponnani had MLAs belonging to the Hindu community and segments such as Guruvayur had elected legislators from the Muslim community many times.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] Thrissur district secretary Abdul Khader alleged that Mr. Gopalakrishnan’s remarks were aimed at creating divisions among people and the BJP had no role in the development of the Guruvayur temple town.

Mr. Khader said that the development of Guruvayur was primarily driven by secular parties and accused the BJP of “pursuing divisive politics” ahead of the elections.

Both the CPI(M) and the Congress had approached the EC seeking action against the BJP leader. The student wing of the Congress, the Kerala Students’ Union (KSU), moved the Kerala High Court and lodged a police complaint against the purported remark.