Nominations of Tharoor, Bennet cleared

Papers of Bindu Krishna to be scrutinised today

Aam Aadmi Party candidate Ajith Joy during the election campaign in Thiruvananthapuam on Tuesday. Photo: S. Mahinsha

The nominations of Shashi Tharoor and Bennet Abraham, the United Democratic Front and Left Democratic Front candidates respectively, in the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency were cleared on Tuesday. Objections from rival parties on Monday had made the election authorities postpone the scrutiny and hearing.

The scrutiny of the nomination of Bindu Krishna, the UDF candidate for the Attingal constituency — which was also held back on Monday — will be carried out at 11 a.m. on Wednesday. The scrutiny of the papers of A. Sampath, an Independent candidate and namesake of the LDF’s sitting MP from Attingal A. Sampath, will be also be taken up on that day, a release said.

Meanwhile, District Collector and District Election Officer Biju Prabhakar served a notice on Planning Board member and Communist Marxist Party leader C.P. John in connection with a group led by Mr. John taking over the CMP State Office in Chitra Nagar, Pattom here, and converting it into Mr. Tharoor’s election office. The notice asks Mr. John to explain why action should not be initiated against him under sections of the Representation of People Act, since Mr. John was a member of the State Planning Board and recipient of salary and benefits from the government.

In a separate statement, Mr. Prabhakar informed that a single-window system to accept requests for permissions to conduct public meetings and rallies in connection with the polls would be set up from March 27.

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The single window system would operate from the office of the Assistant Commissioner, District Crime Records Bureau, Thiruvananthapuram, and also from the offices of the Deputy Superintendent of Police at Neyyattinkara, Nedumangad, and Attingal.

Mr. Prabhakar also issued a notice on Tuesday stating that financial and banking institutions in the district, including cooperative banks, would have to submit a daily report on all transactions of and above Rs.10 lakh to the Income Tax department. The telephone numbers for this were Anil Kumar P. (Assistant Director, Investigation), 85470-01126, and Anil G. Nair (Income Tax Officer), 85470-00609.