CHENNAI: Continuing her attack on the Congress’s State leadership, this time dragging in the State in-charge Girish Chodankar, party MP S Jothimani alleged on Friday that "massive irregularities" had taken place in the constituency allocation and candidate selection processes for the Assembly polls and demanded a comprehensive inquiry by the national leadership into the functioning of the election management team led by Chodankar.
In a strongly worded statement addressed to national president Mallikarjun Kharge and the AICC leadership, she claimed that constituencies were allocated to suit candidates who had already been selected, and alleged large-scale corruption in the guise of internal surveys.
Jothimani alleged that several senior functionaries who had served the party for decades, as well as leaders with genuine winning prospects, were side-lined during the selection process, while newcomers and candidates with little or no prospects were included after specific constituencies were negotiated for them.
“Who gave these individuals opportunities? On what basis were they selected? What action has been taken against those responsible for these mistakes,” she asked. She also criticised the move to form committees to probe the alleged anti-party activities during the election without first examining the constituency allocation and candidate selection processes.
“Without conducting an inquiry into constituency allocation and candidate selection, forming a committee only to investigate alleged anti-party activities during the election is merely an arrangement to protect those who are actually responsible for the wrongdoing,” she said.
Noting that Chodankar headed the panel overseeing constituency allocation and candidate selection, she said party rules mandate that only the AICC had the authority to investigate the committee.
“Watching the Tamil Nadu candidate selection process from close quarters was deeply shocking. Such open and blatant irregularities will become a major setback to the future of the party,” she said.
Calling for reforms within the organisation, Jothimani urged the leadership to ensure transparency, honesty, and respect for grassroots voices. “Let the electoral reforms that the Congress urgently needs begin from Tamil Nadu,” she added.