Chennai, Oct 13 (BPNS)

The Opposition AIADMK which faced a drubbing at the rural local body polls has alleged that the ruling DMK won the elections through unfair means and by unleashing violence across the state.

The party also alleged that they had submitted several complaints pertaining to the violence being unleashed by the DMK, to the State Election Commission but the SEC did not act on it.

Former Chief Ministers and AIADMK coordinator and co-coordinator, O. Panneerselvam and Edappadi K. Palaniswami alleged that unprecedented violence was carried out by the DMK cadres in many areas during the rural local body elections. The leaders also alleged that the State Election Commission (SEC)was relegated to a ‘Puppet’ in the hands of the DMK.

The AIADMK leaders said that when they were in power, the elections to the Loksabha and Assembly were held in a single phase but the DMK government conducted the rural local body polls in two phases. The party leaders in the statement said that they had moved the Madras High Court against this.

The leaders said that the State Election Commission had given an undertaking to the High Court that it would conduct the elections according to the directions of the court. The AIADMK alleged that despite being an autonomous body, the State Election Commission was made a ‘puppet’ in the hands of the DMK.

The AIADMK leaders said that they had petitioned the SEC  that the Ranipet District collector, Bhaskara Pandian was acting at the behest of the ruling party and had requested to transfer him but to no avail. The statement said that the SEC had rejected the candidature of two district panchayath wards and four panchayath union wards of AIADMK nominees in Kallakuruchi district. The leaders said that they had given a written complaint against this to the SEC but the election commission did not act.

The AIADMK said that in several election booths, the party representatives were not allowed to sit and media was also not allowed to report. They said that they had already given seven petitions to the SEC and added that it would prove before the Madras High Court that the victory of the DMK was through backdoor and by unfair means.