Claims of money distribution in RK Nagar constituency baseless: Dinakaran

Chennai: AIADMK Amma faction Deputy General Secretary and its candidate in the April 12 RK Nagar assembly by-elections T T V Dinakaran today rubbished allegations of money distribution by his camp in the constituency.

He alleged that DMK, Panneerselvam-led AIADMK Puratchi Thalaivi Amma faction and BJP had been making such claims ever since naming their candidates for the bypoll.

"They say it is happening unnoticed, if it is so how they came to know of it," he said.

"If money distribution was allegedly happening, was it not a "fault" of the officials who did not prevent it?” he asked.

Despite the demployment of a large number of officials (from other states) for the poll duty and deployment of Central security forces, allegations of money distribution continued, he said and sought to know whether it was not a lacunae on the part of officials.

The opposition parties have been alleging that money was being distributed to voters by the ruling camp.

On April 5, around Rs 15 lakh was seized and 28 persons were arrested for their alleged roles in various incidents of money distribution to voters and violence in the run up to the by-election, necessitated due to the death of late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.

The Election Commission has also deployed mobile teams of micro observers to check against malpractices.