Karunanidhi attacks poll panel
March 26th, 2011 - 1:07 am ICT by IANSChennai, March 25 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK chief M. Karunanidhi Friday charged the Election Commission of India with not acting in an impartial manner and working to bring the opposition to power in the state.
Addressing an election rally in Tiruchirapalli, around 335 km from Chennai, Karunanidhi said: “The election commission officials seem to want the opposition to come to power in Tamil Nadu.”
Terming it a worrying factor that Madras High Court has made strong observations on the functioning of the election commission, he said the poll panel is supposed to function in an impartial manner and hoped it would do so after the high court’s order.
The DMK chief’s outburst at the poll panel follows the sudden transfer orders issued by the panel for the district collectors of Madurai, Vellore, Theni and Erode.
The election commission has also ordered transfer of the inspector general of police for south Tamil Nadu, the deputy inspector general of Dindigul, commissioners of police of Madurai and Chennai suburban and superintendents of police of Madurai and Thiruvanamallai districts.
The High Court had Wednesday come down heavily on the election commission for checking vehicles and seizing cash. In an interim order, the court directed the poll panel to carry out such checks only if it has specific information that cash is being carried for distribution to voters.
The court also questioned the election commission on the transfer of officials without consulting the state government.
Tamil Nadu is going to polls April 13 to elect a new 234-member assembly.
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- AIADMK sweeps Tamil Nadu civic polls - Oct 22, 2011
- Money, money... how moolah gets around in Tamil Nadu polls - Apr 12, 2011
- Check vehicles only on information: Election Commission told - Mar 23, 2011
- Politicians praise Election Commission - May 13, 2011
- Don't play with people's lives over dam: Stalin to Kerala - Dec 12, 2011
- Corruption, price rise, power cuts are poll issues: Jayalalithaa - Mar 26, 2011
- Tamil Nadu's new civic body heads sworn in - Oct 25, 2011
- Emergency-like situation in Tamil Nadu: Karunanidhi - Apr 01, 2011
- Re-poll ordered in five Tamil Nadu constituencies - Apr 14, 2011
- Parliament should discuss election panel's powers: Karunanidhi - May 03, 2011
Tags: checks, chief minister, commission officials, deputy inspector general, dmk chief, election commission of india, election rally, impartial manner, m karunanidhi, march 25, member assembly, opposition, outburst, poll, polls, state government, theni, tiruchirapalli