T’puram: A party panel, probing an allegation of multi-crore misappropriation of election funds in BJP, found incriminating evidence against three party functionaries, including state secretary Anjana Ranjith, and recommended action against them, said sources. The three-member panel comprised ex-DGP Jacob Thomas, former governor Kummanam Rajasekharan and state treasurer E Krishnadas.Thomas was inducted on the instructions of BJP’s central leadership, while Krishnadas was included by virtue of his position as state treasurer. The panel’s preliminary report was handed over to BJP state chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar, said sources, indicating that the committee may examine it further.Sources said there were attempts from some quarters to put pressure on the panel to wind up the probe without fixing responsibility on any individual. But it proceeded with its mandate, they said.The allegation is linked to the handling of funds allocated to the state unit for assembly election works. The allegation is that the state unit failed to account for over Rs 80 crore of the nearly Rs 400 crore sanctioned by the central leadership and a substantial portion of it was allegedly siphoned off by state and district-level functionaries.The allegation gained traction after complaints were raised against some functionaries who allegedly repaid bank loans, invested in real estate and purchased expensive vehicles soon after the assembly elections.The issue also came up at a BJP core committee meeting, where senior functionaries reportedly demanded credible action against the culprits. Several members allegedly expressed displeasure over the attempts to hush up the matter or dismiss the charge as baseless. The matter was also discussed at a meeting attended by the party’s vice-presidents and general secretaries, where some senior functionaries sought action against those who had overseen the use and distribution of election funds.Chandrasekhar had repeatedly denied these financial irregularities, describing the allegation as a ‘fictitious creation of the media’ and maintaining that BJP had found no such thing. The party has not disclosed the contents of the preliminary report or the names of those facing possible action.
