TR Baalu seeks webcast from all booths in Vellore

Interacting with reporters after handing over the petition to Returning Officer and Collector A Shanmugasundaram, he said this was necessary as the state government was misusing official machinery to ensure a win for its candidate. He added that though poll officials had declared only 179 booths as vulnerable and the Chief Electoral Officer had announced webcast from 850 booths, this would not be enough.

Demanding webcast in all the booths, he also demanded that adequate para military forces be sought to ensure a free and fair election. Ten companies of para military forces were on duty already and plans to seek another 10 companies was not enough he added.

Similarly, Baalu demanded that employees of BHEL be also be given a local holiday to exercise their franchise as most employees were residents of Vellore despite the factory being located outside the constituency. He also called on the Election Commission to provide booth slips to voters and prevent unauthorised issue of booth slips by AIADMK cadre.

Meanwhile, independent candidate A Noor Mohammed requested the RO to provide him security as he was threatened by an unknown person to desist from campaigning on Saturday. “I have stopped campaigning because of this threat,” he added.

Another independent candidate R Ramesh of the Ahimsa Socialist Party said he would sue election officials for rejecting his nomination on the ground that he lived in a rented house. “The nomination rejection reason was given to me in writing based on which I will file the case,” he added.