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2 expenditure observers to curb money power in Tamil Nadu polls
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, ECI cancelled elections for the Vellore parliamentary seat in Tamil Nadu after more than ₹10 crore was found in cash at a warehouse owned by a political party member
The Election Commission of India says it will send two special expenditure observers to Tamil Nadu to keep a check on money distribution to influence poll outcomes, an acute problem in Tamil Nadu politics. The announcement was made in Chennai by the chief election commissioner, Sunil Arora, after his two-day visit to check the poll-bound state’s readiness for the exercise.
“We want to conduct an inducement-free and Covid-19 safe election,” Arora said.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, ECI cancelled elections for the Vellore parliamentary seat in Tamil Nadu after more than ₹10 crore was found in cash at a warehouse owned by a political party member. Income Tax officials seized ₹137 crore in unaccounted cash from across the state, days ahead of the Lok Sabha and assembly by-polls. Similarly, in 2017, by-polls in prestigious RK Nagar assembly seat—previously represented by former chief minister J Jayalalithaa--were cancelled twice on bribery charges.
“We rescinded polls in Vellore and twice in RK Nagar, which is the harshest action taken by the election commission in any state,” Arora said at a press conference.
In its previous visit in December too, the delegation focused on the influence of money, goodies and liquor in the polls.
Tamil Nadu will have additional 25,000 polling booths these elections, taking the total number of booths in the state to 93,000. Poll timing will also be extended by an hour. By-poll for Kanyakumari parliamentary seat--left vacant after the death of Congress MP Vasanthakumar, who succumbed to coronavirus last year-- will be conducted along with the polls for 234 assembly seats in the state.
On Wednesday, Arora-led election panel met with political parties, which were united in their demand for a single-phase assembly election in the state.
The ECI said it was considering their suggestion to hold state polls in April due to heat, examinations and Tamil New Year.
“It will be before May 24 when the current assembly term expires,” Arora said.
He, however, ruled out parties’ request for counting of votes a couple of days after polling.
"We explained to the parties that we can't do this when we are conducting polls in five other states, which may be conducted in several phases. Results of one state will affect the voting pattern in another state," Arora said.
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He said the panel had received mixed feedback from political parties on enabling postal votes for people with disabilities, health issues and senior citizens. He said some parties were apprehensive of the facility’s possible misuse.
He said postal ballots will be implemented so that specified group of voters can vote from home.
The principal opposition party, the DMK's petition against postal voting is pending in the Madras high court.
The ECI said it was unhappy with the state’s excise department. Following the presser, the team headed to neighbouring Union Territory of Puducherry, which is also going to polls this year in the same cycle as Tamil Nadu.
