BackRK Nagar bypolls: Campaigning ends, polling on 21 December
The RK Nagar bypoll is a triangular contest amongAIADMK's E. Madhusudhanan, sidelined leader T.T.V. Dhinakaran and DMK's N. Marudhu Ganesh
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Chennai: All eyes are on Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagar—better known as RK Nagar—in Chennai, where campaigning ended on Tuesday evening for Thursday’s bypoll to the prestigious constituency once held by Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa.
While a total of 59 candidates are in the field, a triangular contest is on cards in RK Nagar bypolls among the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s (AIADMK) E. Madhusudhanan, the party’s sidelined leader T.T.V. Dhinakaran and the opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s (DMK) N. Marudhu Ganesh.
“The amount of damage that Dhinakaran can cause to the AIADMK remains to be seen," said Chennai-based political analyst Sumanth Raman. “The DMK were strong favourites, a month ago. However, latest opinion polls show a close fight between DMK and AIADMK," Raman added.
The Election Commission of India (EC) has deployed nine observers, the highest for an election in one constituency, for the RK Nagar bypolls.
With around 2,500 security personnel, over 200 surveillance cameras, 75 flying squad teams, 21 static surveillance teams, 20 monitoring teams with video recording devices and around 45 check posts, the RK Nagar byelection is the costliest in the country ever.
According to a report in The Times of India, the massive arrangements have cost the EC Rs3 crore, compared to around Rs60 lakh that is typically spent on a bypoll.
In April, bypolls to this constituency, which fell vacant upon Jayalalithaa’s death last December, were cancelled after complaints of widespread distribution of cash to voters. An income-tax (I-T) raid at the home of Tamil Nadu health minister C. Vijayabaskar and seizure of documents by officials suggested an alleged payment of Rs89 crore to voters by the AIADMK.
The EC had then observed that “the political parties and their leaders at the top echelons have devised to bypass the law enforcing authorities entrusted with the task of keeping an eye on the unauthorized and illegal expenses incurred in the conduct of election campaigns of their party candidates need to be dealt with heavy hand".
Although no action was taken against Vijayabaskar, the Delhi Police arrested Dhinakaran in April for alleged attempts to bribe EC officials. A chargesheet was filed against Dhinakaran in this regard last week.
Recently, opposition leader and DMK working president M.K. Stalin observed: “Last time, the bypoll was cancelled just two days before the polling day, after the I-T raids found that several crores of money was offered to voters. What action have the authorities taken against those responsible?"
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