RK Nagar bypoll: OPS demands probe into Election Commission

Chennai: The ruling AIADMK will seek a ‘comprehensive probe’ by the Election Commission into the ‘thillu-mullu’ (fraud) done by T.T.V. Dhinakaran to secure victory in the R.K. Nagar bypoll, deputy chief minister and party coordinator O. Panneerselvam said on Monday.

After chairing the meeting of the AIADMK high-level committee at the party headquarters here, O.P.S. told reporters that T.T.V.’s ‘thillu-mullu’ in R.K. Nagar had been ‘confirmed’.

“We (AIADMK) will ask the Election Commission to conduct a comprehensive probe into this bypoll thillu-mullu”, he said.

Asked to elaborate, he said when the EC officials ordered all the ‘outsiders’ in the campaign to leave RK Nagar 48 hours before the poll, T.T.V.’s agents living within the constituency had distributed new 20-rupee notes to the voters, with identifying markings, telling them they could collect Rs 10,000 against each note after casting their votes.

“There are now several people there, with these notes, frantically going around asking where to collect their Rs 10,000 reward”, O.P.S .said.“This is ridiculous. Who will believe it if someone offers a 20-rupee note and seek vote promising to pay Rs 10,000 next week. Only those who paid Rs .6,000 per vote are thieves”, TTV told media persons responding to the thillu-mullu charge.

He was referring to the Opposition charge that the AIADMK distributed Rs 6,000 per vote in RK Nagar — DMK working president M.K. Stalin had alleged that the police helped in the money distribution.