Chennai: The R.K. Nagar bypoll cancelled due to model code violations is now a case study with Election Commission of India (ECI) under the Chapter Bribery to Voters and Punishment. The all-party meeting called by ECI on May 12, to discuss issues pertaining to fair elections, has decided to brainstorm on what usually goes wrong in bypolls.
“Data and poll violation records of R K Nagar constituency, once represented by late J. Jayalalithaa, have been sent to New Delhi to ascertain factors that would prevent cash for votes,” a top official told Deccan Chronicle.
However the major agenda of the meeting is to assure political parties that electronic voting machines (EVMs) were tamper-proof and secured so that the politicians need not worry about any malpractices.
Punishing the voters accepting bribes and disqualification of candidates caught for serious poll offences are also to be discussed during the high-level meeting to be chaired by chief election commissioner Nazim Zaidi.
“What happened in RK Nagar was unprecedented and the election commission wants to take this case as a debate. Generally in an Assembly constituency, only 3 flying squads, and 3 static surveillance teams are deployed but for the RK Nagar assembly a total of 61 teams were deployed keeping in view the sensitiveness of the constituency and past experience. Each squad had 7 members. Thus, a total of 277 persons in 61 teams operated round-the- clock to stop distribution of cash and gifts, but nothing stopped the political parties”, explained the informed official.
“In fact an additional observer who was to return to RK Nagar on April 10 chose not to book air tickets to Chennai from Delhi, the previous day. He chose to wait and anticipated that RK Nagar bypoll may be cancelled. He also tipped a few staff attending him saying that the violations were going unchecked in
R K Nagar”, recalled a government official who was liasoning for the observers staying at Chepauk government guesthouse.
