Stalin demands replacement of RO

DMK working president and Leader of the Opposition MK Stalin has urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to replace the Returning Officer (RO) for the RK Nagar by-election as there were fears that the election may not be held in a fair manner.

Speaking to reporters here on Wednesday, Stalin said that the Returning Officer’s action has already given room for doubts of bias as was evident in the rejection of actor Vishal Krishna’s nomination due to pressure from ruling dispensation.

Even though the EC had claimed that around 40,000 bogus voters have been removed from the voters ‘list, still there were around 5,000, he noted. Stalin has also called for a public meeting on December 11 and said that all the leaders of political parties, who supported the DMK candidate in RK Nagar would share the dais expressing a show of strength.

In a statement on Wednesday, he urged party cadre to ensure DMK’s victory in RK Nagar. “RK Nagar bypoll will be a challenging one, as there will be violations by ruling AIADMK government. Further, the BJP at the Centre is indirectly supporting the AIADMK. The EC which is an autonomous constitutional body is hesitating to take actions against poll violations,” he said and added that DMK will not be deterred by these impediments. Stating that DMK’s allies like Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and Manithaneya Makkal Katchi also supported the DMK candidate, Stalin noted, “Even other allies like VCK, MDMK and CPI are with us and it is a clear indication that people are upset with the current ruling AIADMK government and want a change in government.”