On the day when Chief Minister Jayalalithaa fielded her party candidates for the September 18 by-elections to the local bodies, DMK president M. Karunanidhi announced his party’s decision to boycott the polls on the ground that the Opposition was not even given adequate time to identify their candidates.
After her re-election as general secretary of the AIADMK, Ms. Jayalalithaa on Friday released the list of candidates.
Almost simultaneously, Mr. Karunanidhi said the announcement of the by-polls by the State Election Commission, after allowing the ruling party to prepare its candidates, proved beyond doubt that that the commission would favour the AIADMK.
The DMK leader alleged that the by-elections schedule itself became a farce since the date was earlier fixed for August 6, only to be changed to another date.
“The date was changed with a view to allowing Ms. Jayalalithaa to make announcements under 110 of the Assembly rules. She used the opportunity to announce a Rs. 2,377-crore scheme for Coimbatore and Rs. 800-crore underground sewerage schemes for Tutircorin and Tirunelveli Corporations,” Mr. Karunanidhi alleged.
It was for the commission to explain whether it was not against rules on the part of the Chief Minister to make such announcements instead of allowing the Minister handling the portfolios to do so. Nothing could be more farcical than the announcement of election to the Cuddalore municipality a day after the chairman resigned.
