RK Nagar bypoll peaceful, 60% voter turnout
CHENNAI: Polling for the RK Nagar assembly bypoll ended without a major incident with over 60% of the voters exercising their franchise by 5 pm.
The exact voter turnout would however be updated when reports from all the 258 polling booths came in, sources at election body office said.
Polling which was a little over 20% at around 11 am, saw a spurt after the 2G verdict acquitting DMK leaders — A Raja and Kanimozhi — was announced by a special CBI court. Nine election observers were posted by the Election Commission (EC).
AIADMK fielded its veteran leader E Madhusudhanan against rebel AIADMK leader TTV Dinakaran contesting as an independent. The DMK candidae N Marudhu Ganesh completes the triangular contest even though for the record, the BJP is also contesting. It has fielded K Nagarajan a local party worker as its candidate. In all there were 59 candidates in fray.
The counting of votes will take place on December 24.
Elaborate security arrangements were made with around 15 companies of para-military forces and over 3,000 security personnel posted across the constituency.
RK Nagar has 2.26 lakh voters of whom 1.16 lakh are women.
Chennai police commissioner AK Viswanathan was on the spot, overseeing the law and order situation.
The DMK had alleged that the police had helped the ruling party distribute money to the voters. Nine election observers were sent by the EC who monitored the polling process from control rooms as well as by visiting booths. Rebel AIADMK leader TTV Dinakaran is challenging the candidate of the EPSOPS faction, E Madhusudhanan. The DMK has fielded N Marudu Ganesh.
Incidentally, the bypoll to the same constituency was countermanded in April this year when complaints of large-scale bribery were made and income tax officials recovered a sum of ₹89 crore from an aide of state health minister C Vijayabhaskar.
It was at the prodding of the Madras high court that the EC is holding the bypoll. The HC had, on November 21, ordered the poll panel to hold a bypoll before December 31, questioning how a seat can be left vacant for nearly a year.