Southern States - Tamil Nadu

60 pc turnout in Vaniyambadi

By P.V.V.Murthi

Women queuing up to cast their votes at a booth in Ambur in tbe Vaniyambadi constituency. — Photo: M. Moorthy

VANIYAMBADI May 31. Polling was peaceful in the Vaniyambadi constituency today, with about 60 per cent voter turnout. While polling was in dull Ambur and Vaniyambadi town, it was brisk in rural areas. Large number of purdah-clad Muslim women were seen waiting in queue to cast their votes in the Mazr-ul Uloom Higher Secondary School in Ambur town. Till around 2 p.m. the turnout was only around 44 percent. The number increased after the Friday prayers. Many Muslim women in Ambur came to polling booths only in the afternoon.

Party supporters were seen crowding booths in many villages, especially in the Alangayam panchayat union, seeking votes for their candidates. In Periyanguppam, the Education Minister, M.Thambi Durai, was upset over party workers not canvassing for votes, while the DMK workers were seen canvassing.

S.Rethinasabapathi, DIG, Vellore, told newspersons at Ambur that extra police personnel were pressed into service in 21 "hyper-sensitive" booths and 50 "sensitive" booths. The IG (Law and Order), V.Balachandran, went round the constituency with a strike force and monitored the situation.

Several cases of voters' names missing from the electoral list were reported. In ward no.6 of Vaniyambadi municipality, names of 343 voters who had electors' photo identity cards were not allowed to vote since their names were not in the list. . A large number of voters gheraoed the election observer's car and complained to him about missing names.

The District Collector, A.C.Mohandoss, told The Hindu that a complaint of the AIADMK MP, Thanga Thamizhchelvan, about alleged distribution of money by some DMK men to voters in the Ambur area was forwarded to the Vellore SP, Pramod Kumar.

About the complaint, Mr. Kumar said that since it was a non-cognisable offence, he had sent a report to the local magistrate, seeking his permission to prosecute the persons concerned.

The Collector denied receiving any complaint about a DMK complaint about some AIADMK functionaries distributing money to voters .

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Southern States

News: Front Page | National | Southern States | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary |

Stories in this Section

• Moderate, peaceful polling
• DMK seeks repoll in Saidapet
• 60 pc turnout in Vaniyambadi
• Stray incidents in Acharapakkam
• Scuffle between partymen
• "Bogus" community certificates
• Dawaram to continue
• Value addition, a bait for students
• Tiruchi REC out of NIT list
• Karunanidhi cancels birthday functions
• Statewide rice coupons issue from today

Copyright © 2002, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu