Wards bifurcated to favour DMK, AIADMK petitions state poll panel

The Opposition AIADMK on Saturday alleged that the Tamil Nadu State Election Commission has been carrying out bifurcation in the urban areas to suit the requirement of the ruling DMK party members. AIADMK advocate’s wing joint secretary RM Babu Murugavel in a petition to the State Election Commission said that the poll officials were involved in an unauthorised categorisation of voters in urban pockets of the state.

“The exercise of bifurcation is carried out without any proper executive order in the form of a government order, but by the way of oral instructions. The unauthorised juggling of voters between the wards is to suit the requirements of the local DMK leaders,” the petition said.

The previous segregation of wards for the voters was done during 2016-2018 by issuing a proper order and after receiving the comments from the public however, the present exercise is illegal without transparency.

Such secret work is not expected from an independent body like the State Election Commission. Apart from lack of transparency, such acts show the commission and its officers are under the terms of the ruling party which is very dangerous to democracy.

One such example occurred in Kinathukkadavu town panchayat in Coimbatore district where the officers deleted the voters name from one ward without the consent of the voters and their names added to the voters list in adjacent ward, under the guise of ward bifurcation.

An unscrupulous methodology is being carried by the Constitutional body like the State Election Commission. Such illegal acts resulted in gross injustice being carried out in the recently conducted local body polls in 9 districts. Despite complaints, no action was taken and if this continues we have no other option but to knock at the doors of the justice, Babu Murugavel said in his petition.