AIADMK moves
high court over booth capturing, violence
Chennai witnessed unprecedented violence on October
13 during elections to the Chennai Corporation Council. Incidents of
bogus voting and booth capturing were reported from several parts of
the city. In many places, voters complained of intimidation by sword
wielding thugs, who went around the city from one polling booth to the
other.
The police said the
goons were the same as those who unleashed violence in 2001 |
In many ways, it
was a repeat of the last elections to the Corporation in 2001, when
the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) was in power.
Only the violence this time was on a larger scale, and the Dravida Munnetra
Kazhagam (DMK) had replaced the AIADMK as the ruling party in the state.
Otherwise, 2001 and 2006 hold out similar lessons on
rigging elections. According to a source, even the goons were the same,
though hired by different parties. The police, accused of political
bias, remained silent spectators. But the DMK found itself in a tight
spot, with allies the cpi and the CPM, accusing it of unleashing violence.
The CPM has called for re-polling in all 155 wards of
the corporation. Condemning the violence, CPM state secretary N. Varadarajan
said, “The entire poll process was reduced to a cruel joke.”
The CPM had contested in eight wards against the DMK. Some of the CPM
candidates were beaten up, allegedly by goons hired by DMK functionaries.
The CPM contested in eight wards against the DMK and the cpi was pitted
against the ruling party in three wards.
A senior DMK leader blamed the AIADMK for introducing
the culture of violence in the state. He said DMK workers had been attacked
time and again, and were looking to settle scores. The state election
commission ordered re-poll in 17 booths, but the Opposition is far from
satisfied, with the AIADMK approaching the Madras High Court to declare
the election as null and void.
PC
Vinoj Kumar
