Foray against the money power! Elections in Tamil Nadu’s Vellore seat canceled after huge cash haul
Indian elections are huge as well as complex. During the election, all the political parties used their every strength. In this quest, the money power always plays an important role. To slashing down this belief, President Kovind has accepted the ECI’s recommendation to cancel the election in Tamil Nadu’s Vellore after huge cash haul.
This decision was taken by President days after a large sum of cash was seized from the warehouse of the DMK candidate.
President has the power to rescind the election because he is a signatory of notification of Lok Sabha elections. After the action against DMK candidate, the poll panel had sent its recommendation to cancel the polling in Vellore Lok Sabha constituency.
President Kovind accepted the recommendation of ECI to rescind the Lok Sabha election in Vellore constituency of Tamil Nadu. This cames after the income tax officials claimed to have seized over 15 crore cash from the house of DMK leader. Vellore was to go to polls on Tuesday, April 18.
As per the official release, Polling for the two Assembly seats under the Vellore LS seat – Ambur and Gudiyattam – facing bypolls, will go ahead as planned on Thursday as the order was specific to the Lok Sabha election.
On April 1, based on information that illegal cash was moved from a college owned by the Duraimurugan family to a cement warehouse in Vellore, a second I-T search was launched and Rs 11.53 crore was seized.
As per the IT’s official statement, All the cash that was seized was stuffed in cartons and gunny bags neatly packed for distribution division and ward-wise. The cash was shifted from Kingston college Vellore to a cement godown in the night between 29th and 30 March just when there were plans to raid the DMK senior leader Duraimurugan. Beyond doubt, it is proved that money belongs to DMK senior leader Duraimurugan.
The EC received a report from Tamil Nadu’s Chief Electoral Officer and also the special expenditure observer allotted to the state last week. It is based on their inputs that the EC concluded money power was being used to influence voters in the Parliamentary seat.
DMK claimed that these raids were politically motivated. DMK leader Duraimurugan moves to the Madras High Court on Monday. The DMK said the raids conducted are ‘undemocratic’.
In 2016, the poll body had canceled elections in Thanjavur and Aravakurichi assembly constituencies after AIADMK and DMK were allegedly bribing voters. By-elections in the RK Nagar seat, which was held by former chief minister late Jayalalithaa, were called off in 2017 after bribery charges.
COURTESY:- NEWS BHARATI
