Thiruvananthapuram: Senior Congress leader and Lok Sabha candidate Shash Tharoor has been booked for allegedly carrying out false campaigning against Union Minister and rival candidate Rajiv Chandrashekhar. Police gave this information here on Sunday.

This case was registered by the cyber police here on April 15 but its details came to light only today.

According to the police, the case against Tharoor was registered on the basis of a complaint by BJP leader JR Padmakumar, who had accused the Congress leader of running a false campaign against Chandrashekhar during a television programme.

The complainant alleged that during the program, Tharoor had made derogatory statements against Chandrashekhar regarding influencing voters in coastal areas in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

A cyber police officer said the case was registered under sections 171-G and 500 of the Indian Penal Code and section 65 of the IT Act, adding that investigation into the matter is ongoing.

IPC 177-G deals with making false statements in relation to elections while IPC 500 deals with defamation.

Tharoor, who is contesting from Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency, has not yet reacted to the registration of the case.