After cash-for-votes charge, EC may cancel RK Nagar bypolls

April 09, 2017 13:19

The Election Commission may cancel Chennais RK Nagar bypolls after cash-for-votes allegations surfaced.

According to media reports, the EC has called a special meeting on Sunday to discuss scrapping of the polls. A decision is expected latest by Monday.

The Income Tax officials had alleged that the VK Sasikala faction of the ruling AIADMK paid Rs 89 crore to voters to buy support for its candidate TTV Dinakaran, who is also her nephew.

As evidence, the department had cited documents seized during Friday's raids in more than 35 places -- including properties of the state health minister C Vijayabaskar.

One key document recovered from the minister's house gives the alleged blueprint of the strategy to buy voters. The constituency is divided into 256 segments and the target was to reach out 85 per cent of the 2.6 lakh voters. Each voter was supposed to be paid Rs. 4,000, indicating an outlay of Rs. 89 crore.

The Sasikala faction has denied the allegations.

The byelections in RK Nagar became necessary after the death of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, who represented it for two terms.

Last year, polling in two constituencies -- Thanjavur and Aravakurichi -- were cancelled after both AIADMK and DMK were found bribing voters.

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