Intimidation of officials marks counting

By S. Shivakumar

CHENNAI, OCT. 22. Muscle power and intimidation of poll personnel marked the counting of votes in the Chennai Mayor elections, as supporters of the AIADMK had a free run of some counting centres in the city.

Nearly a replay of the situation during the polling day, things turned violent near the Central Polytechnic Campus at Taramani in the early hours of today when supporters of the DMK and the AIADMK clashed over the question of validity of certain votes. Police chased away the clashing crowd restoring normalcy.

However, after sometime an armed mob with the alleged support of the ruling party rushed into the CPT counting centre and destroyed the electrical equipment and some furniture. The booth agents of the Opposition parties and independent candidates were chased away. Several polling officials panicked and fled the scene. However no ballot papers were reported missing.

Additional staff were immediately sent from the Corporation to handle the situation. The counting which was disrupted at 1 a.m. following the violence started about three hours later.

Even at the other counting centres, incidents of armed groups intimidating poll officials, opposition party candidates and agents were reported.

At the Anna University, poll officials went on a dharna for about an hour demanding protection after an armed group entered the counting centre, Mrs. Vanaja Krishnamurthy, an independent candidate of 152 ward, said. ``At Anna University, counting for my ward started around 1 a.m. After the first round of counting, an armed group entered the counting hall and took control of the proceedings'', she said.

``Votes polled by candidates other than the AIADMK were deliberately invalidated by using an inkpad and fingerprinting on the ballot papers. Repeated pleas to the presiding officer and the police evoked no response'', she added.

Following this, she walked out of the hall in protest along with her counting agents, who included a retired IAS official.

Mr. M. Subramaniam, the Zone IX chairman, who is seeking reelection from ward 135 alleged that the AIADMK volunteers led by a former MLA invalidated ballots for the post of Mayor.

At the Loyola College, 151 ballots with consecutive serial numbers, all stamped in favour of the two leaves symbol, without having the signature of the presiding officer of the booth number 1498 (women booth) on Muthiah Mudali street in division 113 were found.

When, the DMK raised an objection, and demanded that these votes be treated as invalid, AIADMK agents said the votes should be counted and they would face any litigation. When this was rejected, they walked out.

On the outskirts, the house of Mr. G. Kamalakannan, an independent candidate who won from Ward VII, in Puzhuthivakkam, Hindu Colony on second main Road was targeted by a mob around midnight on Sunday.

Mr. Kamalakannan said the gang armed with knives broke the windows and also damaged the vehicles parked in neighbouring houses. The house of Mr. Tamilselvan, the DMK candidate who won from the neighbouring ward, was also targetted. Three cars parked in front of the house were damaged. The motorcycle in the house of another DMK candidate, Ms. Hemalatha Ajaykumar, was set ablaze by the miscreants.

The mob, whose members were claiming support of the AIADMK, struck terror in the area for about an hour around midnight. All the residents were warned to remain indoors with the lights switched off.

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