Postpone polls: Radhakrishnan

Union Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Pon. Radhakrishnan has called for postponing the local bodies by-polls, alleging large-scale irregularities in the run-up.

He told journalists here on Sunday that several nominees of his party were prevented from filing nominations, or their papers were rejected on specious grounds. “When democracy has become a laughing stock, how can elections be conducted in a fair manner? The party will submit a formal complaint to the State Election Commission… I do not think anything will come out of it,” he said. In the event of the elections taking place, the voters of Coimbatore should back the BJP “in order to preserve democracy,” he said.