Saturday, Jun 01, 2002
Saturday, Jun 01, 2002 |
| Southern States | ||
|
News:
Front Page |
National |
Southern States |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary | Southern States
-
Tamil Nadu
By Our Special Correspondent
Police and SAF personnel chasing away a group near the Chennai Corporation Higher Secondary School booth on Jones Road in Saidapet on Friday.
Besides, largescale booth capturing took place in the constituency, the DMK said, after the AIADMK realised towards the afternoon that the party was losing. The chief DMK election agent, K. Ponmudi, and the Tirunelveli deputy Mayor were also attacked by AIADMK men, alleged the main Opposition. ``Till around noon the polling was smooth. Suddenly the AIADMK men started going round booths and directing presiding officers to move out,'' said the DMK candidate, M. Subramainan. ``They threatened people in the queue and began casting bogus votes.'' The DMK president, M. Karunanidhi, claimed that the extent of booth capturing and bogus voting was unprecedented. Exhibiting copies of blank, signed community certificates, issued by the Mambalam-Guindy tahsildar, with seal affixed, Mr. Karunanidhi asked how he could sign a certificate without its being filled. ``With these certificates thousands of bogus votes have been cast. Polling officials also connived in this act,'' he said. The DMK chief showed blank, signed ration cards to prove that these too were used to cast bogus votes. The cards and the certificates were issued from a Maruti car, bearing the number TN-01- R-4697, he said. When Mr. Ponmudi tried to question this practice, he was attacked by AIADMK men. Mr. Ponmudi said that when he entered the ALM School booth at Kotturpuram, there were about 10 AIADMK men inside. His visit was apparently conveyed to the AIADMK functionary, Balaganga, who arrived there and asked him to clear out. The men who came along with Mr. Balaganga began to attack him, Mr. Ponmudi claimed. Seeing this, his supporters rushed to the scene to save him. The MDMK alleged that both the DMK and the AIADMK had begun casting bogus votes since the morning. The party claimed that its candidate, P. Subramani, detected a case of bogus voting with a community certificate at a booth in ward 135, but the police refused to take action. Later, a similar instance was noticed by the candidate in a booth in ward 145. The MDMK said Mr.Subramani was threatened by AIADMK men later. The party informed the Election Commission, the Chief Electoral Officer and the Police Commissioner about the bogus voting and the threat.
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail
News:
Front Page |
National |
Southern States |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
|
|
|
The Hindu Group: Home | About Us | Copyright | Archives | Contacts | Subscription Group Sites: The Hindu | Business Line | The Sportstar | Frontline | Home |
Copyright © 2002, The
Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of
this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of
The Hindu
|