Thiruvananthapuram: The Congress party suspended two of its members in Pathanamthitta, while supporters of the Indian Union Muslim League and Social Democratic Party of India clashed in Taliparamba, as post-poll turbulence shook India’s Kerala state.

The state reported a voter turnout of 74.04 per cent during voting for the 16th Lok Sabha on April 10.

The Congress party’s decision to suspend the two members did not come as a surprise, considering the public spat between its candidate for the constituency, Anto Antony and Kerala Congress (M) leader and government chief whip, P.C. George shortly after polling ended.

George had said Antony was not the right candidate for the constituency and Antony accused George of working for his opponent.

The Pathanamthitta district Congress committee president P. Mohanraj announced on Monday that DCC member Varghese Philip Monayi had been suspended for anti-party activities.

“The DCC received a report about Monayi campaigning for the opposing candidate, and action was taken against him on that basis,” Mohanraj said. Along with Monayi, another Congressman, who was a former panchayat member, was also suspended for anti-party activity.

An unperturbed Monayi responded that he had worked “against the injustice meted out by the party”.

He said if the party had suspended him because he had worked for the Left-backed independent candidate, Peelippose Thomas, “many more Congressmen will have to be shown the door”.

In the north of the state, the Taliparamba area remained tense after clashes between Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) workers, despite the police enforcing prohibitory orders since Sunday. The clashes had begun on polling day, on Thursday. Matters got worse after some SDPI workers damaged an IUML office in Taliparamba.

On Monday morning, two shops were set afire in the Puthiyangadi area. Prohibitory orders had been in place for 10 days and a large police force was camping in the area. One of the shops destroyed was a clothes store owned by an SDPI supporter, and the other was a paint shop owned by an IUML supporter.

The post-poll developments in Kerala come even as the Congress high command is reportedly planning to make changes to party leadership in states where the party fares poorly in the Lok Sabha poll. Responding to the development, chief minister Oommen Chandy said he would take up “full responsibility” for his party’s showing in the polls.