Tamil Nadu BJP has sought the intervention of the Election Commission of India over alleged malpractices and poll code violations by DMK leaders in CM M.K. Stalin’s Kolathur Assembly constituency, and has requested immediate appropriate action.
TN BJP state spokesperson A.N.S. Prasad, in a letter to the Chief Electoral Officer, Tamil Nadu, and the Chief Election Commissioner, in a communication dated March 21, brought their attention to a serious incident of alleged violation of election laws and guidelines that occurred today around 12:00 noon in booths 112 and 91 of Kolathur Assembly constituency, which is represented by the Hon’ble Chief Minister M.K. Stalin.
He said, “It has been reported that individuals affiliated with the DMK were going door-to-door, distributing gifts/prizes to voters in contravention of the Election Commission’s Model Code of Conduct and statutory provisions prohibiting inducement of voters. They were carrying DMK’s voter inducement/distribution registers bearing the images of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and the DMK symbol (Rising Sun), in which they recorded details such as the number of voters per household, mobile numbers, Aadhaar numbers, and other personal information from each family.”
The BJP leader, Prasad, said, “On seeing this, local residents expressed their displeasure and informed BJP functionaries in the area. Kandan, a BJP local leader and former Mandal President residing in Kumaran Nagar, confronted the DMK workers, questioning their improper actions. Subsequently, BJP’s local in-charge, Mandal President Advocate Harish, and North Chennai West District Secretary P.K. Ilango of Kolathur rushed to the spot.”
Adding further, the BJP spokesperson said, “Kandan and Advocate Harish immediately lodged complaints with the Election Commission’s designated officers over the phone, urging prompt action. An Assistant Returning Officer (ARO), responding from number 7010803928, promptly informed the Flying Squad.”
The Flying Squad officials, accompanied by videographers, arrived at the scene, documented the alleged unlawful activities of the DMK functionaries on video, and seized the DMK’s voter inducement/distribution register.
Meanwhile, senior DMK functionaries from Kolathur constituency, namely Division Secretary ICF Murali and Dhanasekar, arrived at the location and allegedly intimidated both BJP functionaries and the Election Commission officials present.
Prasad said, “When the Election officials were requested to provide the seized register, one official of the Flying Squad team, named U. Dharani Dharan, refused to hand over the same. At that juncture, another DMK functionary reportedly contacted Minister Sekar Babu over the phone and handed over the call. It is alleged that Minister Sekar Babu intimidated the Election official, following which the seized DMK voter inducement register was forcibly taken back by DMK functionaries ICF Murali and Dhanasekar from the possession of the Election officials.”
It is noted that all these events were duly recorded on video by the Election Commission’s videographer.
A BJP functionary said that it was a matter of grave concern that the two Sub-Inspectors and police personnel who accompanied the Election officials merely remained spectators without intervening effectively. It was requested that a thorough inquiry be conducted into their conduct, and appropriate action be taken under the directions of the Election Commission to the police authorities.
The BJP leaders urged the Chief Electoral Officer, Tamil Nadu, Archana Patnaik IAS, and the Election Commission of India to:
Immediately appoint a Special Officer for Kolathur Assembly constituency and constitute a Special Investigation Team to conduct a comprehensive inquiry into today’s incident, as well as the extent of alleged voter inducement activities across the entire constituency, including the collection of GPay/UPI numbers or other payment details from voters in various booths;
Ensure that free and fair elections are conducted in Kolathur Assembly constituency by taking all necessary measures to uphold electoral integrity;
Register appropriate cases and initiate action against the DMK functionaries involved—namely Area Secretary ICF Murali and Dhanasekar—for allegedly intimidating Election officials and BJP representatives, as well as against P.K. Sekar Babu for his alleged intervention that facilitated the retrieval of the seized material, thereby obstructing the due process of law;
Provide adequate police protection to the BJP functionaries involved in bringing this matter to light and deploy Central Paramilitary Forces in Kolathur Assembly constituency to ensure the safety and security of functionaries from BJP, AIADMK, and allied parties.”
Prasad, who is the BJP party constituency in-charge for Kolathur Assembly, said that he rushed to the spot upon receiving information and personally ascertained the facts from the party functionaries concerned.
He said, “It has been brought to my notice by functionaries of AIADMK, BJP, and allied parties that similar large-scale voter inducement activities, in violation of the Election Commission’s guidelines and laws, are allegedly being carried out across Kolathur constituency by the DMK.”
Concluding his communication, Prasad has urged the ECI to treat this matter as a test case in the Chief Minister’s own constituency, conduct a full and impartial investigation, recover any seized or related materials, and take stringent action to uphold the sanctity of the electoral process.
He also appealed to the Chief Minister, who has represented Kolathur constituency thrice as MLA, to provide a suitable explanation to the people of Tamil Nadu on this matter and ensure that the Assembly elections are contested in a fair, transparent, and democratic manner to safeguard the democratic values of the nation.
It is learnt that on March 18, the Flying Squad team confiscated several lakh worth of silver articles in Chepauk-Triplicane Assembly constituency, represented in the Assembly by Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin.
These are, according to AIADMK and BJP leaders, meant for distribution to voters in return for their votes. In this constituency, every six months or so, the MLA used to distribute various household items, furniture, vessels, and plastic wares to all after issuing tokens.
It is pertinent to mention that the Supreme Court on February 19 reserved for judgment a petition filed by AIADMK leader Saidai S. Duraisamy against a Madras High Court verdict dismissing his case linking DMK leader M.K. Stalin to ‘corrupt practices’ ahead of the 2011 Assembly election to the Kolathur constituency.
