High drama over TN actor Vishal’s nomination
CHENNAI Actor Vishal Krishna claimed on Tuesday that his nomination for the December 21 by poll to R KN agar here has been accepted by authorities after a scrutiny of a complaint with respect to signatures in the application form.
“The nomination that I filed has been accepted. I thank the Election Commission,” he told reporters here.
When asked if Vishal’s claim was true, the returning officer K Velusamy told a news agency that the matter was still under process.
“No, it (Vishal’s representation challenging the rejection) is under process. We will issue orders,” he said.
Answering a question on the reason for the rejection, Vishal, who also heads Tamil Film Producers Council, said a complaint was filed claiming that there were discrepancies with two signatures in his nomination form.
“After investigation (by poll authorities), it was found that there is no truth in it and my nomination is accepted,” he said adding independent candidates stood behind him in his efforts.
Authorities did what was needed to be done “in a fair manner,” Vishal said.
He said he will begin meeting the electorate from tomorrow (Wednesday) and “face the election honestly.”
In a tweet, the actor said, “After much struggle, my nomination for the RK Nagar election is finally accepted.... Truth Always Triumphs !.”
When his papers were rejected, Vishal had staged a sit-in on the road near the office of the returning officer in North Chennai protesting the decision. He was removed from the spot by police.
The nomination papers of late former chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s niece, Deepa Jayakumar, were however rejected by election authorities on Tuesday.
The RK Nagar seat fell vacant following the death of Jayalalithaa in December 2016, who represented it for two terms.