Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala): Kerala Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday accused Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan of bypassing established procedures and overruling the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) and the Electricity Regulatory Commission to push through a power purchase deal with GNA, IANS reported. He alleged that instead of answering serious questions about the agreement, the Chief Minister was creating confusion to evade scrutiny.

Source: IANS via Hi India

Vijayan said Satheesan had admitted he took the final decision based on the file placed before him. That raised the question, he said, of why KSEB's proposal to purchase power from Himachal Pradesh was sidelined despite technical and financial scrutiny, and why the department minister's recorded opinion in favour of the Himachal purchase was not followed. "On what legal and other criteria did the Chief Minister decide to accept the GNA offer?" Vijayan asked, according to IANS.

Source: IANS via Hi India

The Opposition leader sought to know whether KSEB had informed the government that the GNA offer would result in huge financial losses, and whether the Chief Engineer had submitted a detailed examination report. He questioned whether selectively quoting a few lines from a note by Rajamanickam, the then KSEB Managing Director, could erase the Board's objections, and asked why, if the government had nothing to hide, the entire file and the letter received by it were not made public.

Source: IANS via Hi India

What the dispute is about

The row centres on a proposed purchase of 500 MW through GNA Energy instead of a revised offer from Himachal Pradesh, Madhyamam reported. Vijayan has alleged that the GNA arrangement lacked a tender or transparent procurement process, and that GNA is a digital over-the-counter trading platform rather than a power generator. He has also alleged that the government was creating an artificial power crisis, and that former KSEB chairman M. Rajamanickam was transferred after flagging irregularities — allegations the government has not accepted.

Source: Madhyamam

Vijayan further sought clarity on whether the State Electricity Regulatory Commission had stated that there was no need to purchase power at higher rates between November 1, 2026, and March 31, 2027, IANS reported. The Chief Minister has defended the GNA decision in earlier statements, saying the government chose it to avoid an additional financial liability of Rs 2,230 crore and citing a note by the then KSEB chief that the Himachal offer did not guarantee cheaper supply. The allegations are yet to be tested, and the government has not announced any release of the full file.