₹1.5L meant for voters seized, total tally ₹15L
Sivakumar.B @timesgroup.com
Chennai: Just three days before campaigning for the December 21 RK Nagar bypoll ends, it’s raining cash in the constituency. On Saturday, when special chief electoral officer Vikram Batra arrived in the city, authorities seized more than ₹15 lakh in multiple cases.
While election commission officials seized ₹13 lakh from a physiotherapy centre in Korukkupet, DMK workers nabbed a person allegedly belonging to the AIADMK and recovered ₹1.5 lakh in ₹2,000 denomination. The man from Theni was allegedly in possession of a list of the names and mobile numbers of Netaji Nagar voters. “We caught him and handed him over to police,” a DMK worker of Netaji Nagar said.
POLL DOLE: The man caught by DMK workers allegedly had a list with voters’ names, numbers
EC officials seize ₹13 lakh from physiotherapy centre
While the DMK has made allegations against AIADMK and T T V Dhinakaran, the AIADMK too has been levelling charges against DMK and Dhinakaran. The DMK said that though it filed 40 complaints, only a few FIRs were registered.
On money being seized from the physiotherapy centre, a senior EC official said: “We reached the centre soon after we received information about cash being hidden there. We found ₹13 lakh in the custody of an individual called Pachaiappan, a native of Tiruvannamalai.”
Many people were caught with smaller amounts, totalling more than ₹1 lakh, he said. Flying squads conducted searches in many places, both inside and outside the constituency, to check money distribution to voters.
Batra held a series of meetings to review the poll preparedness. The meetings were attended by chief electoral officer, district election officer, the police commissioner and many other officials. “We have decided to tighten the security in the constituency,” said Batra.
He said so far more than ₹20 lakh had been seized from the constituency since the bypoll was announced. “We went through the allegations levelled by political parties and some of them were found to be genuine,” he said.
Soon after the officials’ meeting, DMK representatives met Batra and alleged that the AIADMK was trying to woo people by distributing as much as ₹6,000 per voter. “Despite repeated complaints given by our party requesting officials to prevent distribution of cash to voters by the AIADMK, no effective steps have been taken to curb the menace. We have been sending complaints through WhatsApp by mentioning the name of the area where money is distributed. But no action has been taken,” alleged DMK Rajya Sabha MP R S Bharathi in a memorandum to Batra. Similarly, Dhinakaran supporters also met Batra and complained against the AIADMK.
Sivakumar.B @timesgroup.com
Chennai: Just three days before campaigning for the December 21 RK Nagar bypoll ends, it’s raining cash in the constituency. On Saturday, when special chief electoral officer Vikram Batra arrived in the city, authorities seized more than ₹15 lakh in multiple cases.
While election commission officials seized ₹13 lakh from a physiotherapy centre in Korukkupet, DMK workers nabbed a person allegedly belonging to the AIADMK and recovered ₹1.5 lakh in ₹2,000 denomination. The man from Theni was allegedly in possession of a list of the names and mobile numbers of Netaji Nagar voters. “We caught him and handed him over to police,” a DMK worker of Netaji Nagar said.
POLL DOLE: The man caught by DMK workers allegedly had a list with voters’ names, numbers
EC officials seize ₹13 lakh from physiotherapy centre
While the DMK has made allegations against AIADMK and T T V Dhinakaran, the AIADMK too has been levelling charges against DMK and Dhinakaran. The DMK said that though it filed 40 complaints, only a few FIRs were registered.
On money being seized from the physiotherapy centre, a senior EC official said: “We reached the centre soon after we received information about cash being hidden there. We found ₹13 lakh in the custody of an individual called Pachaiappan, a native of Tiruvannamalai.”
Many people were caught with smaller amounts, totalling more than ₹1 lakh, he said. Flying squads conducted searches in many places, both inside and outside the constituency, to check money distribution to voters.
Batra held a series of meetings to review the poll preparedness. The meetings were attended by chief electoral officer, district election officer, the police commissioner and many other officials. “We have decided to tighten the security in the constituency,” said Batra.
He said so far more than ₹20 lakh had been seized from the constituency since the bypoll was announced. “We went through the allegations levelled by political parties and some of them were found to be genuine,” he said.
Soon after the officials’ meeting, DMK representatives met Batra and alleged that the AIADMK was trying to woo people by distributing as much as ₹6,000 per voter. “Despite repeated complaints given by our party requesting officials to prevent distribution of cash to voters by the AIADMK, no effective steps have been taken to curb the menace. We have been sending complaints through WhatsApp by mentioning the name of the area where money is distributed. But no action has been taken,” alleged DMK Rajya Sabha MP R S Bharathi in a memorandum to Batra. Similarly, Dhinakaran supporters also met Batra and complained against the AIADMK.
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