Chennai: The ruling AIADMK is all charged up for the R.K. Nagar Assembly bypoll as Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa will file her nomination on Friday afternoon, party sources confirmed. Party presidium chairman E. Madhusudhanan conducted a meeting with party functionaries and workers at R.K. Nagar and reviewed the arrangements made to receive their party supremo and R.K. Nagar candidate.
While councillors and ward secretaries were directed to rope in cadres during Ms Jayalalithaa’s visit, state ministers and their associates were seen campaigning door to door on Thursday. The AIADMK has already opened party election offices in all wards and the main election camp is now functional at Tondiarpet. Though Ms Jayalalithaa can submit her nomination at the Ripon Buildings, she is expected to do so with the R.K. Nagar returning officer at the corporation zone 4 office in Tondiarpet.
Chief electoral officer Sandeep Saxena told reporters that special squads and observer for expenditure, Mr Manjeet Singh, have begun their work. The observer will frequent the constituency and paramilitary forces will arrive in a phased manner to ensure free and fair polls, he said.
He also said under the Representation of the People Act, 1951, candidates need not appear at the time of filing their nominations. In their absence, any candidate can assign a nominee as his/her representative to submit the filled-in forms and affidavit duly signed by the candidate, the CEO said, adding that all affidavits will be updated on to the Election Commission website.
