Money swindled from the people is flowing back to the people in R.K. Nagar, said BJP State president Tamilisai Soundarrajan.
At the airport in Coimbatore, she accused disqualified MLA P. Vetrivel of releasing a video clip of Jayalalithaa with the ulterior motive of grabbing votes.
Pattali Makkal Katchi S. Ramadoss said regardless of the winner in the R.K. Nagar constituency, for which byelections were held on Thursday, democracy would suffer a defeat.
He alleged that the practice of giving cash for votes was started way back in 1962 by DMK founder C.N. Annadurai in Kancheepuram. “But in those days, it was quite a concealed affair unlike now. Today, it is openly done. Though there are several observers, they have not managed to stop cash distribution,” he alleged.
All three major candidates had complained to the Election Commission as if only the other two had indulged in cash distribution, he claimed. “Last time, the byelection to this constituency was postponed due to the same reason. This time, however, more money was spent for getting votes but the Election Commission was hesitant to defer it again,” he alleged.
