Alleging that the ruling party had joined hands with officials and the police to conspire against the victory of the DMK in rural local body elections, party president M.K. Stalin on January 2 rushed to the State Election Commission (SEC) and demanded action against what he said were deliberate attempts to stall the declaration of results in wards where candidates of the DMK alliance had won.
“The State Election Commissioner spoke to officials and promised action. If our demands are not met, we will decide whether to observe a fast inside the Election Commission office or to organise a protest across the State,” Mr. Stalin told reporters after meeting the SEC.
He alleged that officials had either stopped the counting of votes or refused to declare victories in places where DMK candidates were ahead of their rivals or had already won. “Even in Chief Minster Edappadi K. Palaniswami’s [Assembly] constituency the results were held back. His brother-in-law is sitting inside the counting centre and directing officials according to his whim,” he charged.
DMK and AIADMK in a neck and neck race in the rural local body polls
Mr. Stalin said in Kolathur in Edappadi, the DMK candidate had won with 800 votes, but the result had not been declared though the victory of AIADMK candidates [elsewhere] had already been announced.
Similarly, in Konganathapuram, Sangakiri and Edappadi, the results were not declared because the DMK had won the seats, he said. In Vathalakundu union in Dindigul district and Minjur union in Tiruvallur district, the DMK candidates had won, but the results were not declared, he added.
“In Bodi union in Theni district of Deputy Chief Minister O. Pannneerselvam, the DMK was ahead of the AIADMK. But officials have left without counting the votes,” he alleged.
The DMK booth agents were chased away in Budalur in Thoothukudi and in Vilathikulam three ballot boxes were missing, Mr. Stalin charged.
