Madras HC to deliver crucial verdict on plea against Chidambaram

June 06, 2012 22:22

The Madras High Court will on Thursday give a crucial verdict pertaining to Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on a plea filed by All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader R S Raja Kannappan challenging the former's election from the Sivaganga constituency in the May 2009 Lok Sabha elections.

The AIADMK candidate, who narrowly lost to Chidambaram, had filed the petition seeking declaration of the election as void, alleging manipulation of votes and corrupt practices had been committed by Chidambaram, his election agents and others, with his consent.

Kannappan had also sought a recount of votes polled in the constituency, particularly in Alangudi assembly segment. He had polled 3,30,994 votes as against 3,34,348 by Chidambaram, thereby losing by 3,354 votes.

He claimed that but for the 'manipulations', he would have won the elections by a margin of about 7,000 votes.

Kannappan claimed that votes secured by him in the 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th rounds of counting in Alangudi had been "ingeniously added to Chidambaram's kitty and vice versa".

He accused the election official of 'unduly' favouring the minister and at his behest not publishing votes polled by the candidates in each round in Alangudi and some other segments.

Rediff.com's A Ganesh Nadar had extensively covered Chidambaram's 2009 election bid. Here's his report

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