Indirect polls suspended wherever we're in pole position: DMK to SEC
The principal opposition party, DMK, petitioned the State Election Commission (SEC) on Saturday, alleging irregularities by the ruling AIADMK and poll officials in the conduct of the indirect election.
By : migrator
Update: 2020-01-12 02:41 GMT
Chennai
DMK Parliamentary party leader TR Baalu met State Election Commissioner R Palaniswami, complaining that indirect election was not conducted in places where the DMK had a majority or was in a winning position.
Accusing the ruling AIADMK of creating problems wherever the DMK was in pole position, Baalu, accompanied by his party organizing secretary RS Bharathi, told media persons that election officers did not turn up in some places. “When enquired, officials claimed to be ill. In some places, the indirect election was suspended after the process commenced,” he alleged, wondering how could the process be stopped after it began? “It could be stopped only after the results are declared,” Baalu remarked.
When reporters sought to know how the commissioner reacted, the DMK principal headquarters secretary said the commissioner assured prompt action as usual. According to sources, “upset over the way officials conducted the indirect election”, DMK functionaries even restricted the movement of an ambulance in one of the districts when the election officer reported ill.
Meanwhile, the DMK has announced Rs 5 lakh compensation to the family of special sub-inspector Wilson who was allegedly killed by terrorists while on duty at the check post in Kaliyakkavilai in Kanniyakumari. Quoting Wilson’s wife Angel Mary, who said her husband loved the job more than his family, DMK president MK Stalin, in a statement, said even the police are not safe in the AIADMK regime. He also alleged that the ruling AIADMK was continuously deceiving people by claiming that Tamil Nadu was numero uno state in maintenance of law and order.
Advising the state government to expedite the case probe and bring to book the perpetrators of the crime, Stalin, who is also the Leader of Opposition, said the incident in Kanniyakumari should be the last such case of police personnel dying on duty. Stalin also urged the state police to improve infrastructure at check posts and make all efforts to optimise the safety of cops on duty there.
AIADMK protests as DMK candidate wins by lot in Orathanadu
Tension prevailed at Orathanadu in Thanjavur during a protest by the AIADMK members after the DMK candidate was selected as the Union chairman by lot following a tie between the DMK and the AIADMK candidates in the indirect elections held on Saturday.
Out of the 31 Union Councillors, the DMK won 18 while the AIADMK won 11, the AMMK and Independent candidates won one each in the Orathanadu Union Council election. Since there was a ruckus during the counting, the DMK approached the court and demanded that three AIADMK Council members should not be allowed to participate in the indirect polls. Subsequently, the court directed elected members Silambarasan (Ward 13), Surya Kala (Ward 24) and Amutha (Ward 17) not to participate in the indirect polling.
On Saturday morning, the AIADMK cadre gathered in front of the Union office and demanded the police to allow the three Council members to enter the polling venue. Since the police denied permission, there was a heated argument between the police and the AIADMK members.
By that time, the other 28 Council members had already entered the office for polling and both the AIADMK and the DMK candidates secured 14 votes each. Tension gripped when both the AIADMK and the DMK elected members demanded selection of the winner by lot and so the election officer wrote the names of Kalaiselvi (AIADMK) and Parvathi (DMK) and selected Parvathi as the chairperson. Subsequently, the DMK cadre celebrated their victory. A few DMK cadre had reportedly supported the AIADMK candidate in the indirect poll after they were promised hefty gifts.
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