Cyclone Ockhi casts a shadow as RK Nagar bypoll campaigning gains pace

Sharp twists occurred in symbol allotment to key candidates contesting in the forthcoming RK Nagar bypoll on a day the ruling dispensation led by O Panneerselvam and Edappadi K Palaniswami launched their campaign in the constituency. The political events unfolded even as southern coastal districts complained about insufficient relief work after cyclone Ockhi left behind darkened and flooded towns and reports of missing fishermen. Opposition leader MK Stalin too upped the ante questioning the Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit’s moves to conduct administrative reviews across the state’s districts and demanded that he should rather initiate the steps to make the current government accountable and prove its majority on the floor of the Assembly.

Rajesh Lakhoni, Chief Electoral Officer, told ET the Hat symbol, hotly contested by previous owner TTV Dhinkaran and a few other parties, had been allotted to one of the youngest of Kongu Nadu (parts of Western Tamil Nadu) Namadhu Kongu Munnetra Kazhagam on account of “preference to registered parties, adding that “… when more than one claimant exists for a symbol, the usual procedure is to go for a lot.” Dhinakaran, who had led a legal battle to bag the Hat symbol, will now have to kick-start a fresh campaign with the (pressure) Cooker symbol that was allotted to him by the EC on Thursday evening.



Of the 145 nominations received by the Returning Officer, 73 filings were rejected, including those of film actor Vishal and the niece of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa — Deepa Jayakumar. Vishal kept up a series of tweets alleging diversion from the set procedure in accepting nominations. Speaking to reporters at RK Nagar, Vishal said he would take the controversy surrounding the rejection of his application with the Central Election Commission.

Down South, hundreds of fishermen — some groups led by representatives of churches in Kanyakumari — took to the streets demanding greater efforts in rescuing men still lost in sea.

Hundreds of fishermen crowded on the tracks of Kulithurai railway station in Kanyakumari district disrupting rail movement in the section, demanding immediate action.

Sheela, a resident of Thoothoor — a coastal village in the district told ET over the phone that she along with hundreds of residents were protesting under the leadership of the local church representatives demanding immediate action by the Tamil Nadu government. “We want swift rescue operations to be undertaken to rescue all our fishermen who are stranded at sea. My brother-in-law along with 15 workers had ventured into sea at least two weeks ago and there is still no news of them. While they must be starving at sea, their children and relatives are starving here since. We will continue our protest until the government responds with constructive immediate action and not with mere words of consolation,” Sheela said.

Meanwhile, returning after kicking off the first day of campaigning for the ruling AIADMK’s candidate at RK Nagar, chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami told reporters that all necessary action to rescue stranded fishermen “are being taken up on a war footing.”