Congress MP S. Jothimani and DMK MLA Senthil Balaji, along with their party cadres, resorted to a road roko in K. Paramathi on the Karur-Coimbatore Road on Friday morning, alleging irregularities in the counting of votes and declaration of results in K. Paramathi Panchayat Union in Karur district. Earlier in the morning, they had staged a sit-in dharna at the counting centre of K. Paramathi Panchayat Union.
The protesters alleged that although the candidates of the DMK and the Congress had won from ward 1 and ward 16, respectively, in K. Paramathi Panchayat Union, officials have declared the AIADMK candidates as the winners.
Speaking to The Hindu, Ms. Jothimani claimed that her party candidate Loganayaki had won in ward 16 but the AIADMK candidate was declared elected by a margin of two votes. Similarly, the DMK candidate had won in ward 1 but the AIADMK candidate was declared winner, she alleged.
“Counting of votes in the wards was over by 8 p.m. But the officials did not declare the results immediately. The declaration was made at around 3.30 p.m. after mobilising police forces,” she charged. Ms. Jothimani accused the ruling party of indulging in such irregularities to secure a majority in the 17-member K. Paramathi Panchayat Union, where a close contest was witnessed between the DMK and AIADMK-led alliances.
She also alleged irregularities in counting and declaration of results in a few other places in Thanthoni and Kulithalai unions in the district. ‘The court guidelines were not followed properly. CCTV footage from the strong rooms were not being recorded,” she claimed.
