Chennai, April 5: With a day left for polling to elect the 16th Tamil Nadu Assembly, the ruling AIADMK today complained to the Election Commission (ec) seeking to postpone the elections and disqualify the
Opposition DMK candidates in five seats alleging online cash distribution by them.

In separate complaints to Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahoo, AIADMK Legal wing leader R M Babu Murugavel demanded that elections should be postponed in Kolathur, from where DM President M K Stalin is seeking re-election, Chepauk-Tiruvallikeni seat where actor and Stalin’s son Udhayanidhi is making his electoral debut, and in Katpadi, Tiruvannamalai and Tiruchirapalli West constituencies.

DMK General Secretary and former Minister Duraimurugan, E V Velu, and K N Nehru are seeking re-election from their home turf of Katpadi, Tiruvannamalai, and Tiruchy West respectively. In the complaint, Babu Murugavel said associates of Mr. Stalin have been distributing Rs 5,000 to voters surreptitiously from April two and it was taking place with the active aid of the local election machinery from April three.

”It is not surprising that the candidate is involving in such activities as there are previous precedents of such illegal acts. In fact even during the 2011 election, the DMK candidate was involved in similar activities”, he said, adding, the petition challenging his election was dismissed by the Madras High Court and the appeal is pending before the Supreme Court. Alleging that Mr Stalin’s wife Durga Stalin is paying Rs 10,000 to all women Self Help Groups to act, canvas and cast their votes in her husband’s favour, he further said that Rs 5,000 was being paid to the voters through onlinepayment G-pay.

The EC should monitor the online transaction and take stringent action and disqualify Mr. Stalin from contesting the polls, investigate the matter and take necessary action under plenary powers of the EC vested under Article 324 of the Constitution and under the Representation of People’s Act.

He also demanded that the candidature of Mr Duraimurugan should be cancelled as his son and DMK Vellore MP Kathir Anand, where election was rescinded and held later due to seizure of cash in 2019 Lok Sabha polls, was distributing cash to the voters. He also said that Mr Udhayanidhi has been distributing cash ranging from Rs 2,000
to Rs 5,000 to the voters through G-Pay and cancel his candidature. He also sought the cancellation of the candidature of Mr Velu from whose premises the Income-Tax department conducted raids and recovered amount to the tune of
Rs 25 crores allegedly meant for distribution to the voters.

He also demanded the cancellation of the candidature of Mr. Nehru against whom an FIR was registered for bribing public servants for votes. After the cash was seized from police stations coming under Nehru’s constituency, he said the case was transferred to the CB-CID by the DGP and later to the CBI following the intervention of the EC. (UNI)