KARUR : Collector and Returning Officer T Anbalagan and Congress candidate Jothimani have lodged cases against each other after a heated exchange of words over the phone, a purported audio clip of which has started doing the rounds on social media.
In the audio clip, Anbalagan is heard telling Jothimani that he would recommend the cancellation of the Lok Sabha election to the Karur parliamentary constituency. “Your advocate Senthil Kumar along with 100 others assembled at my house around 11 in the night and said he wanted to submit a petition.
I asked him to come during office hours. But he refused. Everything is recorded. I’m always neutral. I have a request: please don’t threaten me by sending men to my house,” Anbalagan is head telling Jothimani. “I’m going to lodge an FIR on Senthil. When an electoral officer is threatened, he can recommend the election be cancelled. I’m going to report this to the EC. I don’t care about who wins the election. I can’t accept your allegations.”
Congress candidate Jothimani is heard explaining that the petition was related to the AIADMK candidate getting permission for last-campaign day events despite applying for it manually, allegedly in violation of the rules that call for online applications. “When we took the matter to the observer, he was the one who asked us to file a representation with the returning officer.
The (transport) minister (MR Vijayabhaskar) said they would go ahead with their plans. This is election time. It was neither a normal day nor a normal petition like one about a water or power cut issue for you to ask us to come in the morning. Election officials should work round the clock. Right from the beginning when we came to file our nomination, we have been facing issues. We came to you only for an emergency representation,” Jothimani is heard saying.
The Congress candidate is further heard questioning Anbalagan’s “threat” to have the election cancelled and attributing it to “the fact AIADMK candidate M Thambi Durai is going to lose the poll”. She then asks the returning officer why he hasn’t taken any action against the minister whom she accused of defying his orders. Express could not independently verify the authenticity of the audio clip.