Tamil Nadu: Charges against opponents mark bypoll nomination scrutiny day

MADURAI: Forty-four of the 63 nominations for the Thiruparankundram bypoll, including those of major political parties, were accepted amidst some charges and counter-charges by the candidates in the taluk office on Tuesday.
The byelection to the Thiruparankundram bypoll was announced recently by the EC as it was embroiled in a legal dispute. Nominations began on April 22 and went on till April 29, during which 63 candidates filed their papers.
On Tuesday, the day of scrutiny, chaos prevailed at the taluk office when some of the independent candidates claimed that DMK candidate P Saravanan’s affidavit was incomplete and demanded that his nomination be rejected. However, returning officer Panchavarnam declared that his nomination was accepted.
When the AIADMK candidate S Muniyandi’s turn came, independent candidates and DMK’s Saravanan produced copies of the electoral roll stating that Muniyandi’s name appears in both Avaniapuram and Perungudi voters list. They demanded the rejection of the nomination, due to duplication. But, his nomination was also accepted.
In the Ottapidaram (SC) assembly segment in Virudhunagar district which is also going to the bypoll on May 19, 23 nominations were rejected. After scrutiny, the assistant returning officer for 217 Ottapidaram (SC) Sukumar told reporters that a total of 41 nominations were filed by 34 candidates till April 29.
Scrutiny of nominations began at 11am on Tuesday in the presence of all the candidates and representatives of various political parties. “The rejected nominations include duplication of nominations by those representing political parties and their dummy candidates,” he said.
Sukumar said the nominations can be withdrawn till 3pm on May 2 (Thursday). “This will be followed by finalising the final list of candidates in the fray and allotment of symbols for them the same evening,” he added.