<p>Chennai: DMK MP D M Kathir Anand on Friday came under the scanner of the Enforcement Directorate with sleuths from the agency conducting searches in premises owned by him and his father Durai Murugan, the Water Resources Minister. </p><p>The searches are in connection with a case filed by the Income Tax department in 2019 over seizure of money allegedly to be distributed among voters in the Lok Sabha elections.</p>.Durai Murugan will continue to be DMK Treasurer: Stalin.<p>The searches were conducted in five places in Vellore in northern Tamil Nadu, including the residence of the MP and the minister, a college owned by the family, and a premise belonging to DMK functionary ‘Pooncholai’ Srinivasan. In 2019, just two weeks before Tamil Nadu went to Lok Sabha polls, I-T sleuths seized Rs 11.48 crore from the premises of Damodharan, who is a relative of Srinivasan, which were allegedly meant for distribution to voters. </p><p>“I am not aware (of any raids). I know only what you all know,” Durai Murugan told reporters in Chennai. Anand is a two-time MP from Vellore after he won a second term in 2024. </p><p>A case, which was registered against Anand, Srinivasan, and Damodharan, is currently under trial in Vellore.</p><p>The seizure had created a massive controversy in 2019 after the Election Commission of India (ECI) rescinded the elections to Vellore Lok Sabha constituency. The ECI had concluded that “unlawful activities” including inducement of voters through cash by Anand had made “free and fair elections” impossible there. </p><p>The ECI had said it detected a “systematic design” to influence voters in the constituency during the election process and accused Anand and Murugan of shifting a large amount of cash and other incriminating material out of their college premises while the I-T teams were denied entry on March 30.</p><p>It said during the raids at the residence of one Damodaran, brother in law of a DMK functionary, Srinivasan, a total of Rs.11.48 crores, most of which was packed in plastic packets with ward wise details, was seized. </p><p>Cash for votes is a reality in Tamil Nadu where political parties spend huge amounts of cash to tilt votes in their favour. Besides Aravakurichi and Thanjavur, by-elections to Dr R K Nagar assembly constituency in Tamil Nadu was also rescinded in November 2017 due to allegations of rampant use of money power. </p>
<p>Chennai: DMK MP D M Kathir Anand on Friday came under the scanner of the Enforcement Directorate with sleuths from the agency conducting searches in premises owned by him and his father Durai Murugan, the Water Resources Minister. </p><p>The searches are in connection with a case filed by the Income Tax department in 2019 over seizure of money allegedly to be distributed among voters in the Lok Sabha elections.</p>.Durai Murugan will continue to be DMK Treasurer: Stalin.<p>The searches were conducted in five places in Vellore in northern Tamil Nadu, including the residence of the MP and the minister, a college owned by the family, and a premise belonging to DMK functionary ‘Pooncholai’ Srinivasan. In 2019, just two weeks before Tamil Nadu went to Lok Sabha polls, I-T sleuths seized Rs 11.48 crore from the premises of Damodharan, who is a relative of Srinivasan, which were allegedly meant for distribution to voters. </p><p>“I am not aware (of any raids). I know only what you all know,” Durai Murugan told reporters in Chennai. Anand is a two-time MP from Vellore after he won a second term in 2024. </p><p>A case, which was registered against Anand, Srinivasan, and Damodharan, is currently under trial in Vellore.</p><p>The seizure had created a massive controversy in 2019 after the Election Commission of India (ECI) rescinded the elections to Vellore Lok Sabha constituency. The ECI had concluded that “unlawful activities” including inducement of voters through cash by Anand had made “free and fair elections” impossible there. </p><p>The ECI had said it detected a “systematic design” to influence voters in the constituency during the election process and accused Anand and Murugan of shifting a large amount of cash and other incriminating material out of their college premises while the I-T teams were denied entry on March 30.</p><p>It said during the raids at the residence of one Damodaran, brother in law of a DMK functionary, Srinivasan, a total of Rs.11.48 crores, most of which was packed in plastic packets with ward wise details, was seized. </p><p>Cash for votes is a reality in Tamil Nadu where political parties spend huge amounts of cash to tilt votes in their favour. Besides Aravakurichi and Thanjavur, by-elections to Dr R K Nagar assembly constituency in Tamil Nadu was also rescinded in November 2017 due to allegations of rampant use of money power. </p>