Cash is out and two-wheelers are the in things to buy votes in Tamil Nadu. If the allegations by Anbumani Ramadoss, the chief ministerial candidate of the PMK are true, Aravakurichi in Karur district of Tamil Nadu is setting new “benchmark” in bribing voters.
"In Aravakurichi assembly constituency, the AIADMK and the DMK leaders are offering the voters Rs 5000 per vote. If a family has five votes, they stand to get a two-wheeler," said Anbumani Ramadoss in a hurriedly convened press meet at Chennai on Thursday. He blamed the election Commission for turning a blind eye towards the cash and gift distribution.
What make the allegation interesting are the names of the AIADMK and the DMK candidates. The AIADMK has fielded Senthil Balaji,a former minister who was dropped from the council of ministers by chief minister Jayalalithaa.following allegations of corruption. The DMK's nominee is K C Pallanishamy, a long time associate of party treasurer and prince in waiting M K Stalin. Both the candidates are billionaires (based on the affidavits submitted by them to the Election Commission) and are capable of spending a fortune to meet the election expenses.
Anbumani Ramadoss said the Aravakurichi experiment is all set to eclipse the Tirumangalam by poll of 2009 where the DMK is alleged to have pumped in money to ensure the victory of the party candidate as Karunanidhi, the then chief minister was leading a minority government which badly needed numbers for survival. Tirumngalam in Madurai district saw leaders of the DMK devising new strategies to hoodwink the authorities to bribe the voters with cash and gift coupons.
Anbumani alleged large scale money distribution is happening in Athoor constituency where two bigwigs of the AIADMK and the DMK are involved in a life and death battle. "Voters are paid Rs 5000 per vote by both the parties. Natham Viswanathan, the power minister in the outgoing AIADMK government is taking on I Periasamy, a former DMK minister at Athoor. The constituency has turned into a vote market as well as a battle ground," charged the PMK leader.
"Votes are being sold and purchased in other constituencies which resemble big markets. Price ranges from Rs 500 to Rs 3000 depending on the area" said Anbumani, the first medical doctor who is contesting for the chief minister's post.
He said in villages close to Chennai voters are paid Rs 500 while in urban and semi urban areas, party leaders pay between Rs 2000 to Rs 3000 per vote. "In villages near Jolarpettai, our party workers saw money being handed over to poor people with the demand that they vote for a particular party. This is the case with all over the State. Both the AIADMK and the DMK are distributing money. They have deployed dedicated party workers to distribute cash and gift articles to voters in villages and residential areas to ensure bloc voting for the party candidates," alleged Anbumani.
Meanwhile , Forum for Electoral Integrity, a NGO led by former bureaucrat M G evasahayam has written to the Chief Election Commissioner asking the Constitutionl authority to issue directives to both the AIADMK ad the DMK to remove the freebees announced in their respective manifestos. The representation said the freebees announced in the manifesto violates the guidelines set by the Supreme Court as well as the Representation of People's Act.