Thiruvananthapuram: The upcoming local body elections in Kerala have revived the controversy surrounding the mysterious death of a Hindu priest, Swami Saswathikandanda, who is believed to have drowned while bathing in a river.

The priest, who headed the Sivagiri Mutt, a spiritual centre of the Ezhava community, died in July, 2002 while bathing in the Periyar river.

Opposition leader and veteran Communist Party of India Marxist leader, V.S. Achuthanandan on Monday said that a probe into the death of the priest by the Central Bureau of Investigation, was a “logical demand”. He said the probe ought to be conducted “immediately”.

The allegation that Swami Saswathikananda’s demise was not owing to natural causes was recently raised by Biju Ramesh, a liquor bar owner who is also the general secretary of the Sree Narayana Dharma Vedi (SNDV).

The development has serious political connotations since the political target of the allegation is Vellappally Natesan, general secretary of the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam, which recently warmed up to the Bharatiya Janata Party for an alliance in the forthcoming local body election.

The alliance is expected to disrupt the traditional political ground in Kerala where the Congress-led United Democratic Front and the CPM-led Left Democratic Front have been the only two serious contenders in the fray.

This time, analysts feel that an SNDP-BJP combine will weigh heavily on the fortunes of the two traditional fronts, and may even grab a number of seats for itself.

The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president, V.M. Sudheeran has also called for an investigation into the causes leading to Swami Saswathikananda’s death, pointing out that the doubts of his family members, and the public regarding the death had to be cleared.

CPM politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan, too, has demanded a CBI probe into the priest’s death.

Following the allegation by Biju Ramesh regarding Swami Saswathikananda’s death, the crime branch of police is likely to take a statement from him shortly.

Voters in Kerala will go to the polling booths on November 2 and 5 to choose their representatives to the local bodies.