Kannur, March 21 (IANS) The election committee office of former CPI-M leader V. Kunjikrishnan, now contesting as an Independent backed by the Congress-led UDF in Payyannur, was shut down on Saturday following alleged threats from local CPI-M workers to the landowner.

The office, set up at Kothayi Mukk, was dismantled after the owner reportedly expressed inability to withstand mounting pressure.

Kunjikrishnan and his supporters alleged that the landowner was warned of serious consequences if the premises continued to be used for campaign activities.

The owner, they said, conveyed that he had been explicitly told not to lease out space for the rebel candidate’s office.

“The owner requested us to vacate after he was threatened. We decided to dismantle the office to ensure he does not face any hardship. This is nothing but a direct assault on democratic functioning,” Kunjikrishnan said, alleging a systematic attempt to stifle dissent.

The incident comes amid escalating tensions following Kunjikrishnan’s dramatic fallout with the CPI-M last month.

A long-time local leader in Payyannur, he had courted controversy after publicly alleging manipulation in the accounts of funds collected for a party martyr.

His claims, coupled with subsequent media interactions, led to his expulsion from the party. Kunjikrishnan further alleged that intimidation began soon after, with groups of alleged CPI-M workers turning up outside his residence, bursting crackers and shouting slogans even when only his wife and grandchildren were at home.

The situation intensified when the CPI-M renominated the sitting legislator against whom Kunjikrishnan had levelled the allegations.

In response, he entered the electoral fray.

The Congress leadership soon initiated outreach efforts, deputing RSP leader Shibhu Baby John for talks, eventually leading to Kunjikrishnan contesting from the RSP quota as a UDF-backed Independent.

Maintaining that a smear campaign against him had failed to influence voters, Kunjikrishnan said the latest episode reflected a “climate of fear” being created to isolate him politically.

Kunjikrishnan is pitted against sitting CPI-M legislator T.I. Madhusudhan, who won the 2021 polls with a margin of just under 50,000 votes.

--IANS

sg/pgh