Co-op polls: Officials held hostage after names of contestants removed

Members at the cooperative credit societies at Agaramcheri and Padavedu panchayats in Vellore and Tiruvannamalai districts alleged that the officials refused to provide any reason for the removal of the names. 

At Agaramcheri, the polling official pasted a list of 14 names, without assigning any reason for the removal of 50 other names who had also filed nominations. 

As he refused to cite reasons for the removal of the 50 names, the other contestants didn’t allow him to leave the premises. Thereafter, Pallikonda police rushed to the spot and evacuated the official.

Similarly, at the Padavedu cooperative credit society in Tiruvannamalai district, the official pasted a list of 18 names removing the names of 30 others who had filed nominations. 

The official refused to cite any reason for the same and therefore was not allowed to leave the premise by more than 100 members. Thereafter, Kannamangalam police arrived and evacuated the official after pacifying the members.