Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M
Karunanidhi today said frequent postponement of the Pennagaram assembly bypoll might lead to suspicion among people that the Election Commission was biased towards opposition AIADMK.
The postponement might also create doubts about the EC's
'non-partisan' functioning, he said, writing in the DMK
mouthpiece 'Murasoli'.
Karunanidhi was referring to PMK founder S Ramadoss's
reported remarks that the EC was acting in a partisan manner
after the by-election, scheduled for January 20, was further
postponed following allegations of irregularities in voters'
list by some 'friendly parties' of AIADMK.
Recalling Ramadoss' words that "special care" was taken
by the EC to invite AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa for its Diamond
Jubilee Celebrations in New Delhi, Karunanidhi said, "as Dr
Ramadoss says, one has to ask with regret, can those who have
to uphold democracy function in a partisan manner?."
Karunanidhi said elections were postponed following
complaints of irregularities in voters' list by "parties which
are not contesting".
He alleged that EC postponed the election without
consulting any officials on the veracity of the complaints,
thus "affecting the democratic process".
The EC had deferred the bypoll earlier as the campaign
dates clashed with the Pongal festivities in January.
Leaders
of eight political parties in the state had approached the EC
on February one, accusing ruling DMK of deleting names of
25,000 voters of the constituency and demanded that the
electoral rolls be finalised only after considering the cases
of these voters.
-PTI
First Published: Tuesday, February 09, 2010, 22:30