TN: Former CM Palaniswami’s car stopped, checked by polling officers

Ooty (Tamil Nadu) [India], April 5 (ANI): Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami’s vehicle was checked by the flying squad of the Election Commission ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, on Thursday.

Palaniswami’s car was stopped while he was travelling to Nilgiris district to campaign for the Lok Sabha in support of AIAMDK candidate Lokesh Tamilchelvan.

The visuals show poll officials checking the vehicle while Palaniswami was seen sitting in the front seat of the car.

Earlier, in March, the Election Commission (EC) suspended the head of the Flying Squad Team of Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu for not checking the cavalcade of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party candidate A Raja.

“There have been certain media reports regarding laxity in checking of a cavalcade of Thiru A Raja, the candidate from the DMK party, at an interstate check post near Coonoor, Kerala. Based on the media reports and subsequent enquiry by Returning Officer, The Nilgiris, as also the Expenditure Observer, head of the Flying Squad Team, Geetha has been suspended as lapses were found in the performance of election duties,” said a press release issued by the Chief Electoral Officer, Tamil Nadu.

Following the incident, the poll panel replaced the entire Flying Squad Team.

The Model Code of Conduct is in effect after the schedule for the Lok Sabha elections was announced by the Election Commission of India on March 16.

All 39 seats of Tamil Nadu will poll in the first phase of the general elections on April 19 and the counting of votes, along with those from other phases, has been scheduled for June 4.

In 2019, the DMK swept the Lok Sabha polls in the state, winning 23 Lok Sabha seats and bagging the lion’s share of the total votes polled, at 33.2 per cent. Its ruling ally, Congress, bagged 8 seats, mining 12.9 per cent of the total votes polled, while the CPI won two seats. CPI (M) and IUML won one seat each while the remaining two seats went to Independents.

The elections to 543 Lok Sabha seats in the country will be held in seven phases, starting April 19. Nearly 97 crore voters are eligible to get their fingers inked this time.