CHENNAI: Thanking the voters of Erode East Assembly constituency who have voted for AIADMK candidate KS Thennarasu, the party’s interim general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Thursday condemned the ruling DMK for facilitating the victory of Congress candidate EVKS Elangovan through money power and through irregularities.
“The DMK has rolled out a new Erode East Formula on the lines of Thirumangalam Formula and kept the people under shamianas and distributed all kinds of allurements to them including money, food, and jewellery etc, “ he added.
Palaniswami, in a statement, also alleged the voters were threatened that if they refuse to stay in the place where they were kept, no welfare scheme from the government would reach them. The DMK also committed fraud in the voters’ list and the team of ministers camped at Erode East constituency.
Also, DMK violated the ECI rule that all outsiders should vacate the constituency after the last date for the campaign. “People were bribed with money and goods on the eve of polling day and when the polling was on,” Palaniswami alleged. The ECI also ignored the complaints of AIADMK on poll violations. Meanwhile, talking to reporters at Coimbatore airport, Palaniswami said he saw the result of this by-election as a defeat to the ECI.
The AIADMK functionaries could not meet voters during the campaign as the DMK kept them in sheds, he said and expressed hope that the general election in 2024 would be a big game-changer for their party.
Meanwhile, Panruti S Ramachandran, advisor to the AIADMK faction led by O Panneerselvam said EPS and his associates should be thrown out of the party to protect it.
“The result of this by-election has come as a rude shock to us and caused huge pain. The only solace in the result is that the AIADMK candidate could secure the deposit. EPS did not cooperate with OPS, even after the SC gave its verdict. For all these confusions, EPS is the sole reason,” Ramachandran said.
Asked about the comment of EPS that money power has won in Erode East, Panruti retorted: “More than one lakh people have voted for Congress candidate. Can you say all of them received money?”