AIADMK urges Election Commission to set aside TTV Dhinakaran win in RK Nagar

Chennai: The AIADMK on Friday urged the Election Commission of India to set aside the RK Nagar win of AMMK leader TTV Dhinakaran alleging he had secured the seat by bribing the voters. EC's act of justice would be akin to the players losing their medals if it was later found they had won by taking drugs, said a stinging piece in Namadhu Amma, the ruling party's official organ.

Referring to the attack on TTV's vehicle when he visited RK Nagar a couple of days ago, the AIADMK paper said the incident reflected the 'public anger' as he had gone back on his promise to pay them for their votes. He had distributed 20-rupee notes as 'tokens' among the electorate during the campaign and told them he would pay the cash-for-their-votes after the result, which he failed to do, said the paper in its article.

Insisting that the RK Nagar voters were furious at being cheated, the AIADMK paper said the public anger was demonstrated in the attack on him. It also listed out the various court cases and criminal charges against TTV and said he was now out of Tihar jail on conditional bail. “Looking at these many cases and how he has not reformed yet, the question arises whether it would be appropriate (for the EC) to eliminate altogether such persons from public life”, said Namadhu Amma, while recalling that a criminal case is pending against TTV in Delhi High Court in connection with his alleged attempt to bribe the EC for obtaining the AIADMK's two-leaves symbol for his splinter faction.

Hitting back, TTV loyalist and former minister P. Palaniappan said, “This outburst only shows the frustration and panic in the ruling camp after the recent rally (of TTV) in Coimbatore. They see the end of their unholy regime”. He reiterated the charge from the TTV camp that the attack on his convoy during the recent trip to RK Nagar was the handiwork of the defeated candidate E. Madhusudanan, the AIADMK presidium chairman.