In yet another instance of Lok Sabha polls being rescinded due to cash for votes, President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday accepted the recommendations of the Election Commission (EC) and cancelled the elections in Vellore Parliamentary constituency in Tamil Nadu following recovery of huge amount of cash allegedly from a DMK candidate’s office a few days ago. Polling in Vellore was scheduled for April 18. Vellore has become the first constituency in India where a Lok Sabha election has been cancelled because of cash for votes.

Meanwhile on Tuesday night, the EC postponed voting in the Tripura (East) Lok Sabha seat to the third phase on April 23 from April 18, saying the prevailing law-and-order situation there is not conducive for holding free and fair poll.

There have been instances when the polls were cancelled due to cash for votes. In 2016, polls in Aravakurichi and Thanjavur Assembly seats in Tamil Nadu were cancelled due to large scale distribution of money and gifts to voters. 

The EC had also cancelled RK Nagar Assembly election in Tamil Nadu after allegation of bribing the voters at large scale came to light in 2017.

The EC took the decision after the district police had filed a complaint against the accused, Kathir Anand, as well as two party functionaries on the basis of a report from the Income Tax department on April 10. In a late-night move, the EC on Monday had sent a report to the President of India recommending cancellation of polls to the Vellore Lok Sabha constituency, following the seizure of large amounts of cash, allegedly stacked up to bribe voters.

Sources said that President has earlier sought legal opinion from the law ministry on the EC’s recommendations to cancel the polls in Vellore parliamentary seat.

The notification of cancellation of Vellore Lok Sabha seat issued by the ministry of law and justice has said that the Commission is fully satisfied that the current electoral process in Vellore constituency in Tamil Nadu has been seriously vitiated on account of unlawful activities of certain candidates and some members /workers of the political parties.

“The Commission had recommended in exercise of the powers under article 324 of the Constitution read with section 21 of the General Clauses Act 1897 and all other powers enabling it in this behalf to the President that he may be pleased to rescind the election notification of Vellore parliamentary constituency in Tamil Nadu,” the notification said.

Anand was charged under the Representation of the People Act for giving “wrong information” in his election affidavit filed along with his nomination papers, the police said. The other two, identified as Srinivasan and Damodaran, were booked under bribery charges.

On April 1, cash worth Rs 11.5 crore was seized from a godown allegedly owned by a DMK functionary linked to the Vellore Lok Sabha candidate of the party, Kathir Anand. Anand, son of DMK treasurer Durai Murugan, was also booked under the Representation of People Act for giving “wrong information” in his election affidavit.

Earlier on March 30, the tax sleuths raided Durai Murugan’s residence and seized Rs 10.5 lakhs of “excess cash”.