DMDK seeks disqualification of Congress candidate for violation of model code
DMDK leader Premalatha Vijayakant has sought disqualification of Congress candidate in Virudhunagar Lok Sabha constituency B. Manickam Tagore on the charge of making voters fill forms with their personal details under the guise of enrolling them for welfare schemes proposed by his party.
“This is a clear case of violation of the Model Code of Conduct and I wonder how Mr. Tagore, who has been an MP for 10 years did not know this,” she said at a press conference here on Monday.
Ms. Premalatha displayed an application form, said to have been distributed by the Congress cadre among voters to get their personal details, including signature.
“It is not at all wrong to give promises during election. But distributing such application forms door to door and getting the signatures of voters is wrong,” she said.
Stating that three FIRs had been registered in Tirumangalam, Sattur, and Virudhunagar Assembly constituencies, she said her legal team was working on the issues.
Complains to EC
“The issues have been taken up with the Election Commission in Delhi,” she said. The Virudhunagar West police had registered a case against R. Kamaraj, 41, of Virudhunagar under Section 188 for disobedience to order duly promulgated by a public servant and Section 171 E of Indian Penal Code for punishment for bribery.
In the complaint, Anthonraj, 41, belonging to the Static Surveillance Squad, said Kamaraj, who runs a grocery shop on
Thanthimara Street, had been collecting voter identity cards from 30 voters.
He was entering the personal details of the voters in the application forms of the Congress’s guarantees of providing ₹1lakh to women and ₹1 lakh stipend for educated youth for apprenticeship.
The forms had the “Hand” symbol of the Congress printed on it.
Raadika protests
Earlier, BJP candidate Radikaa Sarathkumar, along with her partymen, laid siege to the office of Assistant Returning Officer in Virudhunagar seeking action against the Congress candidate with regard to the same issue on Sunday.
The Congress cadres gathered at the Assistant Returning Officer’s office and denied that there was any illegality in distributing the printed poll promises.