The DMK submitted a complaint to the Chief Election Commissioner and the Chief Electoral Officer, Tamil Nadu, on Wednesday expressing concerns over the handling of postal ballots.
In the complaint submitted by the party, the DMK organisation secretary R.S. Bharathi, said they were informed by the party’s Parliamentary and Assembly candidates and some office bearers of JACTO-GEO that the Returning Officers of all constituencies did not keep a ballot box to drop the election duty staff’s postal ballots.
“Those election duty staff are directed by the ROs of all constituencies to post their postal ballots through the postal department only,” Mr. Bharathi charged in his complaint.
Mr. Bharathiasked the EC to direct all ROs to keep exclusive ballot box for the election duty staff so that they can drop their postal ballots as per their convenience till 6 a.m. on May 23 at the RO’s office with proper security.
He further alleged that enquiries with the party’s candidates for the polls revealed that they were not furnished with the Format-3 by the ROs concerned. “Hence it is pertinent to note that the ROs so far have not complied with the instruction of Handbook of ROs, particularly regarding postal ballots,” he said.
Mr. Bharathi said it was the mandatory duty of the EC to supervise and see that the ROs complied with the provisions of all the election laws and instructions of the EC, as part of free and fair elections.
The DMK leader also complained that they had, till date, not received any reply from the EC on the two complaints raised by the party on April 3 and April 8, “which may lead us to conclude that the procedure laid by the EC in postal ballots were not complied with scrupulously”.
