UDF seeks Speaker's disqualification

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, MAY 2. The Congress candidate for Thiruvananthapuram North, Mr. K. Mohankumar, has demanded the LDF candidate, Mr. M. Vijayakumar's, resignation from the Speaker's post and withdrawal from the fray for allegedly violating election rules and misusing Government machinery for election purposes.

Mr. Mohankumar told presspersons here this evening that the Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) who is the returning officer for Thiruvananthapuram North, had seized about 60,000 copies of publicity material, `Vikasana Varthakal,' from the Audio Visual Reprographic Centre at Vattiyoorkavu this afternoon. The name of a private press was printed below the material and the number of copies was put at 3,000 by the publisher, Mr. K.C. Vikraman, he said.

Mr. Mohankumar said that despite his request, the RDO has not seized the press and taken it into custody. When he visited the centre at around 4.45 p.m. following a tip-off from the UDF election committee convener, Mr. Muttada Nagappan Nair, an officer of the centre told him that the voters' list too was being printed at the same centre. Mr. Mohankumar said that if the RDO takes the press into custody the election process would be disrupted and hence did not do it.

Mr. Nagappan Nair, who was also present, said Mr. Vijayakumar's supporters had started verification of the voters' list since last week. They had enough copies of the list. Mr. Nair said that though the UDF workers had applied for copies of the list, they had not yet got it. Printing of publicity material and voters' list in the same press is in violation of election rules and model code of conduct, he said.

Mr. Mohankumar and Mr. Nair alleged that when the RDO reached the spot, police prevented him from entering the centre. They even blocked Mr. Mohankumar and they had to force their way in. They alleged that CPI(M) workers who reached the spot attacked UDF workers with iron rods and bundles of the publicity material was burnt on the centre premises. The ambulance of the Rajiv Gandhi Sports Medicine Centre under the Sports Directorate was allegedly stationed there for transporting the material.

The KPCC executive member, Mr. T. Sarathchandra Prasad, said Mr. Vijayakumar should quit the Speaker's post and leave the fray for allegedly misusing Government material for his election publicity. He alleged that the Speaker had done the same thing during the last elections too.

In a fax message to the Election Commission, Mr. Sarathchandra Prasad urged him to quash the candidature of Mr. Vijayakumar and seal the centre. The DCC president, Mr. Kaviyad Divakara Panicker, Mr. George Mercier, and Mr. Chempazhanthy Anil, were also present.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : State Elections
Previous : Pawar defends LDF tie-up with INL
Next     : Nadar lends colour to contest in Parassala