Returning Officer forcing me to favour A Raja: Poll official

COIMBATORE: An Assistant Expenditure Observer in The Nilgiris Lok Sabha constituency has accused Returning Officer M Aruna of being biased and showing favouritism towards DMK candidate A Raja.

In a petition to Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahoo, P Saravanan sought the interference of the Election Commission to ensure free and fair elections in the constituency.

“The expenditure recorded in the Shadow Observation Register by us differs by several lakhs to the book of accounts of A Raja. The Returning Officer is repeatedly harassing me to show a reduced expenditure in his favour from the date of the first inspection on April 8,” he said in the petition.

In a misuse of power, on April 9, Saravanan alleged that the Returning Officer forcefully took the Shadow Observation Register and photocopied it. “She also threatened to kill me if anything adverse happened to Raja and ordered me to find ways to reduce the recorded expenditure by setting aside all other duties entrusted to me,” he said.

Further, the official alleged that he was encountering trouble with the Returning Officer for not supporting her favouritism towards the DMK candidate.

Refuting the charges, Returning Officer and District Collector M Aruna said it was a false complaint as she acted only following the norms. “I asked for expenditure details of all candidates from The Nilgiris but he produced only that of the DMK candidate. He also gave different account figures,” she said.