Ex-Kerala chief secretary alleges CEC Gyanesh Kumar offered BJP ticket

Former Kerala chief secretary Jiji Thomson has alleged that Gyanesh Kumar, now Chief Election Commissioner, offered him a BJP ticket to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from Pathanamthitta during a 2016 flight to Delhi. Thomson declined. Rahul Gandhi and the Kerala Congress seized on the claim to attack Kumar, while former Chief Electoral Officer Teekaram Meena demanded his resignation.