Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 16 : Amid mounting criticism following the suicide of Anand K. Thampi, who allegedly took his life after being denied a BJP seat in the upcoming local body elections, the party leadership in Kerala has firmly denied that he was ever associated with the party.

Addressing reporters in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday, BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar said Anand was not a party member and had, in fact, joined the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena.

â??Anand Thampi was not part of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Our information is that he had taken membership in Shiv Sena under Uddhav Thackeray. It is unfortunate that political opponents are trying to use this tragedy to target the BJP,â?? Chandrasekhar said.

Backing this stand, BJP state general secretary Adv. Suresh clarified that Anand had never been considered a potential candidate for the local body polls because he had no organisational association with the party.

â??It is very sad to hear about Anandâ??s suicide. But the fact remains that he was never active in the BJP. He was not a worker, nor was he involved in our activities. Naturally, he was not included among the probable candidates,â?? Suresh said.

He added that internal inquiries had confirmed Anandâ??s affiliation with the Shiv Sena(UBT), not the BJP. â??Our political opponents are weaponising his death to tarnish the BJPâ??s image,â?? he said.

Anand K. Thampi, a resident of Jai Nagar in Thirumala, died by suicide on Saturday. His death triggered an uproar, especially after the emergence of a suicide note in which he reportedly stated that he was deeply distressed over being denied a BJP ticket.

Opposition parties alleged that intense factionalism and candidate selection disputes within the BJP had driven Anand to despair. Several local leaders questioned the BJPâ??s attempt to distance itself from the deceased, especially when his note explicitly mentioned his disappointment over not being allotted a seat.

The controversy has added to tensions within Thiruvananthapuramâ??s political circles, with parties trading accusations over the handling of candidate lists and the pressures exerted on grassroots-level aspirants.

As investigations continue, Anandâ??s family and local residents have demanded a transparent probe into the events leading to his death. The BJP, however, maintains that attempts to drag the party into the controversy are politically motivated and not supported by facts.

/IANS