The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : AIADMK seeks details about hour-wise polling

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Sunday, Jan 18, 2009
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AIADMK seeks details about hour-wise polling

Special Correspondent

Plans to seek probe into “malpractices by ruling party”

CHENNAI: The AIADMK has sought details about hour-wise polling in Thirumangalam Assembly constituency before demanding an inquiry by the Election Commission into “malpractices by the ruling party,” general secretary Jayalalithaa said here on Saturday.

Talking to reporters in connection with the 92nd birth anniversary of AIADMK founder M.G. Ramachandran, she sought to know how 30 per cent votes were polled in the last one hour while it took the entire day to poll 60 per cent votes.

Ms. Jayalalithaa said though the returning officer had agreed to provide the details on the polling on January 16, he did not give it on the ground that government employees were on leave. He has agreed to give the details on January 19.

The AIADMK leader also recalled the directive issued by Chief Electoral Officer Naresh Gupta to the district Collector asking him to send the list of the officials who had not properly marked the identity cards produced for voting. She alleged that when the polling officials insisted on producing identity cards for voting, the police officers asked them not to make such a demand.

She urged the Election Commission to do away with electronic voting machines and revert to the ballot paper system, arguing that the machines could be tampered with. Earlier, she garlanded the MGR statue at the party office and distributed Rs.50,000 each to 29 poor families of party cadre who had an untimely death.

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