“The EC is watching the situation closely. And if the malpractices continue, it can countermand elections in those constituencies even after polling,” state chief electoral officer Praveen Kumar told reporters here.
A sum of Rs 40.40 crore had been recovered from various places across the state so far and a total of 61,020 cases of model code violations filed, Kumar said as the campaign for the April 13 polls came to an end this evening.
Opposition parties led by the AIADMK have accused the DMK of widespread distribution of cash to the voters and asked the Election Commission to strengthen efforts to prevent money power in the polls.
Since the announcement of the poll schedule, the EC has been acting tough with flying squads checking vehicles, including that of senior politicians and ambulances, to curb flow of money to bribe voters.
Chief Election Commissioner SY Quaraishi had said last week that conducting elections in Tamil Nadu was a “big challenge”. To a question on the EC's anticipation of the law and order situation on polling date, Kumar quipped, “lets hope for the best and prepare for the worst.”
On the EC’s notice to AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa and DMDK founder Vijayakant for their alleged personal attacks against the chief minister, Kumar said they had replied to the Commission directly which was being examined.
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