Opposition wants Sahoo shifted out, AIADMK, BJP leaders defend CEO’s actions

AMMK spokesperson CR Saraswathi charged that there was no transparency from the Election Commission. “The EC transfer of EVM machines on the eleventh hour and selected repolling has triggered fresh controversies. Further, there is no action against officials for their failures in conducting a free and fair poll resulting in repolling. The public is also unhappy with the EC over the repolling and we suspect that the repolling is aimed to benefit the ruling AIADMK,” Saraswathi alleged demanding Sahoo to get relieved from the top post.

She added that still there was no proper answer from the Election Commission on why the electronic voting machines (EVMs) were moved from Coimbatore to Theni. “Every mistake by the Commission is dubbed as a ‘routine procedure’”, the spokesperson told reporters.

Cutting across party lines both the AMMK and the DMK are now seeking transparency and DMK leader MK Stalin had also accused the CEO of being ineffective and biased. The DMK also demanded an additional CEO to ensure free and fair polling in the upcoming bypolls and during the time of counting.

However, Deputy Chief Minister and AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam had defended the actions of Sahoo as ‘neutral’ and termed the Election Commission as an independent body functioning as per its statutory norms. The AIADMK is confident of winning all the four upcoming bypolls and this the Opposition is not able to digest. The allegations by the Opposition against EC is baseless, he said.

BJP leader and Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan also stated that it was a usual practice for the Opposition to blame the Election Commission for everything.

Meanwhile, the public election department conducted a review meeting on repolling in the 13 booths. “For re-poll, new EVMs and Voter Verified Paper Audit Trails would be used in the polling stations on May 19 between 7 am and 6 pm. Indelible ink would be applied in the left middle finger of the voters,” CEO Sahoo said in a statement.

In a related development, Minister D Jayakumar hit back at the AMMK and the DMK stating that the Opposition was trying their best to topple the AIADMK government. There will not be any change in regime after May 23 and the elections to the state will be held only in 2021 and again AIADMK will be in power,he added.