Rumours and controversy are rocking the PKR, with allegations of phantom votes and abuse of power making their rounds as more party divisions get down to holding their annual general meetings today and over the weekend.

bukit selambau election day pkr manikumar 070409 04 The biggest hits to the party to date are the postponements of the Merbok and Jerai divisional elections and annual general meetings, over claims of phantom voters and delegates voting more than once.

Kedah executive councillor S Manikumar ( left ) said the Merbok division was also facing claims, that ballot papers with serial numbers have been leaked out or brought out of the polling centre, and of the existence of blank ballot papers.

Jerai division coordinator V Arumugam cited similar issues in his division, with claims of phantom voters and voters casting ballots more than once.

It is understood that the Merbok division meeting and elections were postponed at around 1pm and the Jerai divisional AGM and polls, an hour later. The new date for the meetings are expected to be announced later.

Aside from Merbok and Jerai, three other PKR divisions in Kedah – Sungai Petani, Sik, and Baling – are holding their AGMs today.

Slander in Selangor

Meanwhile, Sri Andalas assemblyperson Xavier Jayakumar filed a report against a string of SMSes that have been circulating over the past three weeks, accusing him of abusing his powers as a Selangor executive councillor.

xavier jayakumar make police report 050210 01 Among the claims was that he had bought a bungalow in Subang for RM3.5 million, but what pushed Jayakumar ( centre in photo ) to lodge a report was one SMS claiming he would bestow state titles to his supporters.

“These are things that are beyond my power and it is the prerogative of the Sultan. These are desperate and suggestive measures (to discredit him) as the final leg of the elections is getting closer,” he said when contacted after lodging his report at the Klang police headquarters.

Xavier, who is defending his post of Kota Raja division chief, claimed it is a smear campaign against him and challenged the perpetrators to come forward with their evidence to the relevant authorities or make a police report on their allegations

MIC dragged in?

Meanwhile, MIC also unwittingly got embroiled in PKR’s election blues when a MIC youth leader filed a police report against the opposition party’s Petaling Jaya Selatan division for allegedly registering him as a member without his knowledge.

Nitesh Malani Mahendra Kumar mic pkr member MIC Youth supreme council member Nitesh Malani Mahendra Kumar ( right ) said it is a “big mystery” to him how the division managed to get his particulars and register him as a member with the membership number B140002115.

He said he only found out about this after he received a letter on Monday inviting him to attend the division’s AGM.

“I strongly believe this is a ploy they have used to put a bunch of phantom voters into the division,” he said after lodging his report at the Brickfields police station.

“They (PKR) are claiming hundreds of thousands of new members and I think the police needs to investigate this thoroughly. This should not happen... if this can happen to me, I believe it is also affecting many others,” he said.