Candidate alleges bid to disrupt election

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, MAY 8. The UDF candidate in the Thiruvananthapuram North constituency, Mr. K. Mohan Kumar, has charged the CPI(M) with trying to disrupt the election process there.

Addressing a press conference here today, Mr. Kumar said the UDF had appealed to the Election Commission to appoint observers in the constituency for the smooth conduct of elections, he said.

He said he had also filed a petition in the High Court seeking police protection for him and the election managers. He alleged that UDF workers were being attacked and prevented from distributing slips to the voters.

Mr. Kumar further said that a complaint had been filed with the Election Commission against the playing of audio cassettes containing speeches with baseless allegations against him.

The UDF candidate said the Speaker, Mr. M. Vijayakumar, was trying to create an "underdog image" for himself to gain the support of the voters in the constituency. The LDF candidate was stating that he was being victimised in the incidents related to the seizure of posters from the Audio Visual Reprographic Centre last week, Mr. Kumar said.

Though the UDF had no role in the destruction of the propaganda material, the recently published LDF election handout, `Vikasana Vaarthakal', had carried a report saying that the entire incident was planned by the UDF candidate himself.

Making a counter-charge against the Speaker, Mr. Kumar said the LDF was resorting to character assassination in a clear violation of election rules. He claimed that the UDF did not have anything to do with the distribution of the copies of a Malayalam magazine `Political Crime', carrying alleged corruption charges against Mr. Vijayakumar.

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Section  : State Elections
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