Candidates slam decision to cancel Tiruvarur bypoll

DMK hand-in-glove with Centre, says AMMK; DMK blames BJP for the move

S. Kamaraj

The decision of the Election Commission of India to rescind the byelection to Tiruvarur constituency slated for January 28 has left the candidates fielded by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) disappointed.

Strident in his criticism, the AMMK candidate S. Kamaraj said: “The decision to put off the byelection is condemnable. The Centre, the State government and the DMK had conspired among one another to get the byelection rescinded,” he charged.

He alleged that the DMK was working hand-in-glove with the Centre and the State government, as it was not prepared for the contest. It feared a repeat of the humiliating defeat it had suffered at the hands of the AMMK in the R.K. Nagar byelection, Mr. Kamaraj said.

CPI criticised

The Election Commission knew full well that the cyclone relief work was still in progress and had factored in the feedback from officials before announcing the date of the election, he said.

“The Election Commission’s decision to cancel the byelection on January 28 is widely perceived to be an outcome of a petition submitted by CPI national secretary D. Raja. But there is more to it than meets the eye,” Mr. Kamaraj alleged. It was at the instance of the DMK that the CPI leader approached the Election Commission, Mr. Kamaraj claimed.

Poondi K. Kalaivanan, the DMK candidate, blamed the BJP for the situation, alleging that its dominant attitude and the State government’s submissive approach was the reason for the Election Commission’s decision.

The Commission could have refrained from announcing the date of the election, Mr. Kalaivanan opined. The DMK had nothing to do with the CPI’s stand on the byelection, he said.

CPI State Secretary R. Mutharasan welcomed the Election Commission's decision to postpone the poll.

Addressing mediapersons in Kumbakonam, Mr. Mutharasan said the State government ought to have prevailed upon the Election Commission to defer the poll given the difficulty in conducting the election in the aftermath of Cyclone Gaja. It was wrong to hold the CPI responsible for the Election Commission’s decision, Mr. Mutharasan said.