Polling in Tamil Nadu’s Aravakurichi postponed over bribery concerns

The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced on Saturday night that polling for Tamil Nadu’s Aravakurichi constituency was postponed to May 23 over bribery concerns.

The constituency was to go to polls on Monday and the results will be out on May 25. The rest of the state will vote on Monday, with May 19 being the result day.

In a press release, the EC said it received a “number of complaints” regarding gifts and money being distributed in the area in the run-up to the assembly elections.

On April 22, IT department officials seized a sum of Rs 4.77 crores from two houses.

Officials also raided the houses of DMK’s candidate in Aravakurichi, KC Palanisamy, and his son, KCP Sivaraman, and seized a total of Rs 1.90 crore.

Palanisamy was briefly arrested in 2011 over allegedly allowing illegal sand mining in the constituency.

The EC also said several “incriminating documents” that were seized during these raids showed pointed to suspected wrongdoings of several ministers in the state --- all of whom “had proximity to the AIADMK”.

This, in combination with several FIRs filed complaining that liquor and money were being distributed to influence voters, prompted the EC’s decision to postpone the elections.

Read: EC issues notices to Jaya, Karunanidhi for poll code violation