Wednesday, Jun 05, 2002
Wednesday, Jun 05, 2002 |
| Southern States | ||
|
News:
Front Page |
National |
Southern States |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary | Southern States
-
Tamil Nadu
By Our Tamil Nadu Bureau
Counting, which was put on hold, will be taken up at 8 a.m. on June 7 at the centre in the Anna University here, the Chief Electoral Officer, Mrutunjay Sarangi, told reporters. The enquiry officers, J.S. Burjia and Santosh Kumar, who completed their probe yesterday, sent their report to the EC this morning. In the May 31 byelection, a sharp increase of 14 per cent over the turnout in the general election held last year added to apprehensions of bogus voting. Moreover, the voting percentage, which was about 50 at 4.30 p.m. shot up to 58.02 when the polling ended 30 minutes later. About 75 per cent of the polling stations facing repoll figured in the petition submitted by the DMK to the enquiry officers, according to the party candidate, M. Subramaniam. The rest of the polling stations found a place in the EC list because of the abnormally high polling percentage recorded there. The 17 general booth, in the TTI Community Hall on Gandhi Mandapam Road, from where DMK men seized unaddressed community certificates used for voting, also figures in the repoll schedule. The DMK candidate's chief agent, K. Ponmudi, was attacked on the premises of this polling station. However, the DMK president, M. Karunanidhi, expressed dissatisfaction with EC decision and stuck to his demand for a repoll in the entire constituency. ``It is only an eyewash. Our party MPs will petition the President demanding a Commission of Inquiry into all irregularities in the three constituencies which went to the polls on May 31.'' The CPI (M) had also made a similar demand, he pointed out.
`Victory may be delayed, but can't be denied'
An AIADMK functionary in-charge of the campaign, reiterating that the DMK allegations were false, said the party reposed full faith in the people and their support. ``Our victory might be delayed but it cannot be denied,'' he said. The PMK president, S.Ramadoss, an ally of the DMK, said the EC decision to call a partial repoll exposed to the whole world the ``malpractices'' indulged in by the ruling party. However, while the demand was for repoll in the entire constituency, only very few stations were covered in the repoll schedule, he added. Enquiry officers will stay back The enquiry officers would stay back in Chennai to monitor the repoll along with the three observers appointed for the Saidapet byelection. The CRPF, which was deployed for Saidapet alone, would again be pressed into service. Mediapersonnel with accreditation cards would be allowed free access to the polling station premises, Mr. Sarangi said. Besides, those with the EC-authorised identity cards would be allowed inside the booths. Barring two `men only' booths, all are general booths. None of the `women only' booths figures in the repoll list.
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail
News:
Front Page |
National |
Southern States |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
|
|
|
The Hindu Group: Home | About Us | Copyright | Archives | Contacts | Subscription Group Sites: The Hindu | Business Line | The Sportstar | Frontline | Home |
Copyright © 2002, The
Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of
this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of
The Hindu
|