The Erode (East) byelection result reflected a gross violation of the poll code by the DMK and its allies, alleged G.K. Vasan, president of the Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) in Coimbatore on Friday.
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Mr. Vasan said the result revealed a triumph of money power against democracy, and the high victory margin [of Congress candidate E.V.K.S. Elangovan] reflected this. “The ruling DMK targeted the poor and middle class electorate, confined them and gained their votes. Such confining of voters is unheard of in Indian democracy,” he charged.
Mr. Vasan said this victory was temporary and artificial. It was unfortunate that the Election Commission failed to act in a transparent manner. It should have initiated action against poll code violations, he said. Despite large-scale poll code violations, the AIADMK has managed to secure 43,000 votes and this reveals that the AIADMK is in the heart of the people. The fact that the AIADMK has managed to poll 25 per cent of votes is proof that if the elections were held in a free and fair manner, the AIADMK would have emerged victorious, Mr. Vasan further said.
The TMC leader also said the Erode (East) bypoll was an example of how a byelection should not be conducted, and that it was the duty of the Election Commission to prevent such incidents.
The triumph of the BJP and its supported parties in three Northeastern States was only an indication that the Congress party had failed to remain in the minds of the electorate, he said.