Parties doubt efficacy as voters lose EPIC in Tiruvarur

Vijayan added that the government is yet to make an alternate arrangement and it will take time. According to him, at least 50,000 voters have lost their documents including EPIC and other valid documents to be utilised as the identity. “It is a long process and making an alternate arrangement to this number of voters will be a time consuming and we are sceptical about the distribution of proper documents”, Viajayan told DT Next.

“For the DMK, we want the election to be held and we are prepared well but the Election officials should make necessary steps to facilitate the voters to exercise their franchise,” Vijayan further added.

Meanwhile, G Sundaramurthy, CPM district secretary said, the entire district is severely affected and the farmers are worried about their livelihood. “Instead of distributing the relief measures, the conduct of bypoll will lead to several troubles among the people. 

As many as 1.80 lakh houses were damaged in the district by Cyclone Gaja and materials distribution has now been covered only for around 80,000 and the remaining families are yet to receive the materials among these, at least 25 per cent are from Tiruvarur Assembly segment alone. Let the distribution of relief materials be completed and then go for the elections,” he said.

Similar points were put forth by other political party representatives too. Advocate Swaminathan, RKP Viswanathan (AIADMK) and Sampath, town secretary of Congress were among those present.

Meanwhile in Chennai, the ruling AIADMK prolonged the announcement of its candidate to Tiruvaur by-poll. The AIADMK candidate selection committee on Saturday interviewed ticket aspirants at the party headquarters. 

AIADMK party convenor O Panneerselvam said that the party will announce the candidate in a couple of days’ time. Of the 52 aspirants, 45 have been interviewed and the party is confident of winning Tiruvarur bypoll.

However, at the AMMK camp, the party high command had instructed the party poll managers to continue the poll work. Senior AMMK functionaries and poll managers were also asked to frequent the constituency seeking votes.

“Both the AIADMK and the DMK are scared due to the rise of our party leader TTV Dhinakaran. The poll works are progressing at full pace and this drama by the AIADMK and the DMK is to spoil our prospects,” AMMK organising secretary Sukumar Babu said.

“We know that bypoll now looks uncertain and these dramas will not affect our campaign,” he said. Even if the polls are postponed, it will be a moral victory for the AMMK and it will be evident that others are scared to face the voters, Sukumar Babu added.

Amma Makkal Munetra Kazhgam deputy general secretary TTV Dhinakaran slammed all the political parties in the state and claimed that they were afraid of facing the Tiruvarur bypoll as the victory of the AMMK candidate is certain.

Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Dhinakaran said, both the ruling and opposition parties are afraid to face the elections and it has been clear through their speeches. “Since our victory is certain, both the AIADMK and the DMK demand postponement of the bypoll. We will certainly win with the similar margin that the party obtained in the RK Nagar by-election,” he said.

Stating that the AIADMK and the DMK had distributed money to the voters in RK Nagar, Dhinakaran claimed that the AMMK cadre would prevent distribution of money in the Tiruvarur segment.

Meanwhile, Dhinakaran said, the national parties have no base in Tamil Nadu and so they always bring the anti-people projects in the state. 

“In a survey, the ruling AIADMK has found that the winning chance of the AMMK is bright and so they want to postpone the election, but the people want the polls to be held,” he said.

In the meantime, Dhinakaran charged that Cyclone Gaja relief distribution has not been properly executed by the state government. “People are still waiting for the relief measures to reach them, but the state government has been lying idle,” he said.

With only five days remaining for submitting the nominations to contest in Tiruvarur by-election, the state executive committee and the central governing body of Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) have empowered the party president Kamal Haasan to decide on contesting the election.

In a meeting held at the party office in Chennai on Saturday, the central governing body and state executive committee unanimously agreed that the party president Kamal Haasan would decide on contesting the Tiruvarur by-election.

Meanwhile, the party leaders had discussed the election agenda of the district in-charges, assembly constituency in-charges and area in-charges as the Makkal Needhi Maiam had already decided to contest in the Lok Sabha elections.

“Facing the election at Tiruvarur despite the misuse of power and distribution of money in exchange for votes by the ruling and the opposition parties were also discussed,” an MNM press release said.

Sources in the party said that Kamal would announce his decision in a day or two.