Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan announced the Opposition’s decision to withdraw support for the State government in the cooperative sector, condemning violence during the Chevayur Service Cooperative Bank elections in Kozhikode.
He accused the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] of orchestrating attacks on voters, with police allegedly colluding in election sabotage. Satheesan held Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Cooperation Minister V.N. Vasavan responsible, calling the incident “the murder of cooperative democracy.”
He alleged that 5,000 legitimate voters were denied access, while 3,000 “criminals” infiltrated polling stations. Satheesan claimed similar tactics were used to capture cooperative banks state-wide.