Slamming the Election Commission of India for failing to take action on the issue of cash for votes, PMK chief ministerial candidate Anbumani Ramadoss, on Sunday, asked the EC to postpone the election as bribing of voters by both the AIADMK and DMK candidates continued without any check.
His meeting with Chief Electoral Officer Rajesh Lakhoni at the Secretariat witnessed some drama when he called up Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi from Mr. Lakhoni’s office and requested that officers from other States be used for poll duty. I told Mr. Zaidi that there was a need to postpone the polls by at least 10 days. By that time, the EC should bring in officials from other States and conduct the polls,” he said. Dr. Anbumani claimed that check posts were non-existent and there was free movement of cash in every constituency. “Postponing polls in Aravakurichi alone is not enough. What is the difference between Rs. 5,000 and Rs. 4,000? Bribing is the same in all places,” he charged.
Meanwhile, a video of PMK’s Ulundurpet candidate K. Balu confronting election officials in his constituency about bribes to voters went viral on the social media. Dr. Anbumani said that instead of taking Mr. Balu’s complaint seriously, six cases were slapped on him.
