State Election Panel denies MK charges

CHENNAI: State Election Commission on Saturday refuted the allegations of rigging the civic poll results in Dindigul as claimed by DMK chief M Karunanidhi.In a statement, the Commission said that a vernacular daily report, on November 17, claimed that hubbies sealed victories in panchayat ward 1 and 4 reserved for women in G Nadupatti panchayat in Reddiyar Chathiram Panchayat Union near Dindigul.Responding to the media report, the Commission had ordered Dindigul Collector and District Election Officer K Nagarajan to probe this incident and to file a detailed report in this regard. As per the report received from the Collector, the news report was the outcome of the irate husbands of the contestants who lost. Karunanidhi, in a statement, had accused S Ayyar, State Election Commissioner, of being in favour of the ruling party during the recently held civic polls.  He also claimed that no action has been taken against the district administration which had issued orders to lease the land to Horticulture Association. Karunanidhi wondered why was the official so keen on awarding the land which was, in fact, retrieved during the DMK regime. “Was it because the beneficiary was close to those in ruling party?” the statement said.Karunanidhi also flayed Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa for the orders issued to retrieve the land which was awarded to Muthamizh Peravai Trust where a building has been built in compliance with all norms including that in the lease agreement entered into with the government. “The interim stay ordered by the HC in this regard is a lesson to be learnt by those who  are ruling State,” Karunanidhi said.