Voters in Keelavasthachavadi in Thanjavur district in Tamil Nadu were in for a surprise when they saw Palaninathan, the village post man coming for his rounds on Sunday with a bunch of postal materials. They have never seen the postman coming calling either on Sundays or national holidays. What aroused their curiosity was the bulky postal articles being carried by Palaninathan.
What Palaninathan delivered to them were campaign materials of former Union Minister TR Baalu, the DMK candidate from Thanjavur. The 32-page campaign booklet in the name of Baalu, printed in expensive papers bore the rising sun, the DMK’s emblem. Most of the booklets did not have the customary postal stamps.
When some of the AIADMK voters too received the 32-page booklet extolling the virtues of Baalu, they took up the matter with the election commission authorities. Devadoss Bose. Principal Assistant Returning officer, Thanjavur constituency, rushed to the village and seized all the materials from Palaninathan.
The village postman told the authorities that he was asked by his superiors to hand over the campaign materials received at the post offices without delay and that was how he came for the rounds on Sunday. “Since Baalu has the attitude of a bull in a China shop, we understand that he is misusing the postal department which has seen the infiltration of DMK men ,” said Ramanathan, an AIADMK activist.
According to Bose, preliminary enquiries revealed that hundreds of people in Thanjavur constituency have been receiving such printed campaign material issued in the name of Balu since the last one month. “When I seized the materials, the envelop containing the 32-page booklet did not have the necessary postage stamp or the postal seal. I have sent a report to the postal superintendednt asking him tio initiate disciplinary action against the postman.” Said Bose.
A Karthik, the young Special Chief Electoral Officer, Tamil Nadu told The Pioneer that he was awaiting the report from the district collector. “I read about it in newspapers. The district election officials are investigating the matter and we are waiting for the district collector’s report before initiating actions,” said Karthik.
Baalu is facing all round Opposition from the Thanjavur electorate for his role in making a deal with one of the multi national corporations for extracting coal bed methane gas from the fertile Mannargudi village. Farmers and local population are up in arms against the project which they fear would obliterate Mannargudi from the face of the earth. In addition to this, Balu’s candidature is also opposed by the DMK cadre in Thanjavur. They allege that Balu back stabbed S R Palanimanickam, who has been representing constituency for the last six terms.