Communist parties in Tamil Nadu have alleged that workers of TVK are distributing money to voters in the ongoing by-election, particularly in villages under the Madurantakam constituency.
The charge was raised after a protest held in Vannarapettai, Chennai, organised by the CPI(M) demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. CPI(M) state secretary Shanmugam said the Election Commission’s duty is to conduct elections fairly, but alleged that the Chief Election Commissioner had acted in favour of the BJP.
Shanmugam said that while campaigning for the Communist candidate in Madurantakam, residents told party workers that they were receiving only pamphlets from the Left, while other parties were offering cash. When asked which party, the residents allegedly pointed to TVK as distributing money in larger amounts. He said the party’s leader, Chief Minister Vijay, should respond to the allegation.
CPI state secretary Veerappandian also echoed the accusation, claiming that TVK, DMK and AIADMK were giving money to voters in the Madurantakam and Dharapuram constituencies. He alleged that the amount was decided after counting the number of votes in each household, and said other parties were not engaging voters on local issues, unlike the Communist parties.
