TN polls: Stalin's opponent contests poll result

CHENNAI: The DMK in Tamil Nadu which is smarting under the embarrassing defeat in the recent assembly polls, is facing more discomfiture with the AIADMK candidate in the Kolathur constituency, Saidai Duraisamy filing a petition disputing the victory of his DMK opponent MK Stalin.

Duraisamy's petition, filed in the Madras High Court today, alleges that his opponent resorted to bribing voters and distributed money at various points, violating the poll code.

Duraisamy's lawyer Thiruvenkatasamy told ET that the broad grounds for filing a petition against Stalin also included misuse of police power, police inaction on a complaint given by Duraisamy, character assassination of Duraisamy through false propaganda, and irregularity in counting of votes, among others.

On the day of counting votes, on May 13, there had been an inordinate delay in announcing the result of the contest in Kolathur constituency, and AIADMK leaders had accused irregularities in counting of votes. In the altercation during the counting, some furniture had also been damaged at the counting centre.

Stalin, former deputy chief minister and son of former chief minister Muthuvel Karunanidhi, was declared elected from Kolathur against Duraisamy by a margin of over 2,700 votes.

The DMK had ended up with only 23 seats in the 234-member Tamil Nadu assembly, fewer than the 29 seats won by the DMDK led by Vijayakanth. DMK's ally, Congress had finished with only 5 seats despite contesting in 63 constituencies. Stalin had been a regular contestant from the Thousand Lights constituency in Chennai city, and had moved to Kolathur this time, apparently considering it to be a safer seat.