Communist Party of India general secretary S. Sudhakar Reddy has urged the Election Commission to suspend police officers who are said to have issued ballot papers marked in favour of the ruling AIADMK during the polling of postal votes at the office of the Superintendent of Police here on Sunday.
Addressing a press conference here on Monday, he said the process was not conducted as per the procedures. The EC must open the ballot box and check whether all 41 postal votes that had already been cast were in favour of the AIADMK candidate.
“If so, officers in charge of the process should be suspended. If such police officers are put in charge of the elections, the poll will be partial,” he said.
Mr. Reddy said Chief Minister Jayalalithaa was claiming that the welfare schemes launched by her government would favour her party in the elections.
“If that is the case, why should the AIADMK resort to such manipulative practices? The tide is clearly against Ms. Jayalalithaa.”