COIMBATORE: Coimbatore district collector and returning officer (RO) Kranthi Kumar Pati dismissed an allegation against BJP candidate K Annamalai after an inquiry found the video of him giving money to a woman was taken in July 2023. The collector clarified that as it is an old video the matter doesn’t come under the purview of the model code of conduct (MCC) for the Lok Sabha election.
In the video that went viral on Friday, Annamalai was seen giving money to a woman who held ‘aarti’ for him. The video was posted on ‘X’ (formely Twitter) following which the RO Kranthi Kumar Pati ordered an inquiry.
Apart from that, posters with wordings in Hindi were stuck on walls near the collectorate and nearby places which urged people to vote for Annamalai and BJP, violating the MCC. When enquired about it, Pati told TNIE, “We don’t know who pasted them as they had no details.”
After the collector ordered an inquiry Annamalai refuted the allegations by rival parties that he gave money seeking vote. He wrote on ‘X’ platform, “that was shot on 29.07.2023 during our 'En Mann En Makkal Yatra' in the Ramanathapuram District. It’s in our culture to reward those who take an ‘aarti’ as a symbol of affection. We have already said that we will not repose our faith in cash for votes like the rest; we only wish Collector was vigilant when the actual exchange of cash is carried out by parties who are today spreading lies.”