With the removal, Vaishna is currently ineligible to contest in the Corporation elections, as a candidate’s name must appear in the voter list of any ward within the corporation.
Published Nov 15, 2025 | 3:45 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 15, 2025 | 3:45 PM
Vaishna Suresh. (Supplied)
Synopsis: The CPI(M)’s complaint alleged discrepancies in the address furnished by Vaishna for voter registration, claiming that the building number (TC 18/564) mentioned in her application belonged to another family with whom she has no connection.
In a setback for the Congress in the Muttada ward, of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, the name of its youngest candidate, 24-year-old Vaishna Suresh, has been removed from the supplementary voter list following a complaint filed by the CPI(M).
With the removal, Vaishna is currently ineligible to contest in the Corporation elections, as a candidate’s name must appear in the voter list of any ward within the corporation.
The CPI(M)’s complaint alleged discrepancies in the address furnished by Vaishna for voter registration, claiming that the building number (TC 18/564) mentioned in her application belonged to another family with whom she has no connection.
They alleged that Vaishna, who currently resides in Ambalamukku, has her voter registration in Muttada, and hence her name should be removed from the ward’s voter list. The complaint was submitted to the corporation secretary earlier this week.
However, Vaishna clarified that she resides at TC 18/2365, and the number in the voter list application corresponded to the address recorded in her electoral ID.
She also pointed out that she had voted in the last Lok Sabha elections using the same address.
Vaishna further alleged that the Corporation’s election cell refused to accept her affidavit explaining the address mismatch, forcing her to send the documents via speed post.
Earlier this week, following the complaint, Vaishna appeared for a hearing before the authorities. Speaking to the media after the hearing, Vaishna had expressed her frustration, saying that the situation has become mentally exhausting.
“I was told to wait until the 14 November to confirm my vote. But it’s a vote that has been on the list for years. My father and I were both born and have lived in this ward — we’ve always voted here. They started creating problems only after I became a candidate,” she had said, alleging that the move was politically motivated.
Corporation officials maintain that the removal was based on an address-related irregularity identified during scrutiny.
With the final voter list published and Vaishna’s name missing from all versions, the Congress has accused the CPI(M) of influencing officials to deliberately exclude her from the rolls.
The party has decided to appeal the decision with the Election Commission, hoping to restore her eligibility as campaigning intensifies in Muttada.
Vaishna, who serves as the vice-president of the KSU Thiruvananthapuram district committee, has drawn attention as one of the youngest candidates in the local body polls.
Her contest against CPI(M) candidate Amshu Vamadevan has made Muttada one of the most closely watched wards in the capital city.
Amshu, a sitting councillor, currently represents Kesavadasapuram ward in the council.
The issue over Vaishna’s voter registration has added another layer of tension to what was already shaping up to be a high-stakes political battle in the division.
(Edited by Sumavarsha, with inputs from Dileep V Kumar)
