EC Directs Transfer of Commissioner Ahead of RK Nagar Bypolls

Ahead of the much-hyped RK Nagar bypolls, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday directed the Chief Electoral Officer of Tamil Nadu to transfer IPS Sudhakar, Joint Commissioner North, to a non-election post.

IPS Sudhakar is expected to be replaced by IPS Prem Anand Sinha, Joint Commissioner, Traffic.

The Commission has decided that Shri Sudhakar Joint Commissioner, North to be transfered to a non-election post and Shri Prem Anand Sinha, Joint Commissioner, Traffic (S) may be posted as replacement of Shri Sudhakar with immediate effect.

Official Note

Earlier on Sunday, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) Working President MK Stalin wrote to the Election Commission (EC), alleging that the ruling AIADMK has been bribing voters in RK Nagar ahead of the assembly bypoll slated on 21 December.

Stalin, in his letter, also claimed that the AIADMK colluded with the EC officials and the state police and distributed more than Rs 100 crore among the voters of the assembly constituency to seal votes for its candidate E Madhusudhanan.

Stalin also stated that Rs 20 crore have been caught by the DMK party cadres and public, "but the police misreported as if few lakhs of rupees have been seized". The EC has also not disclosed to the public the actual amount seized, Stalin said.

In light of the incident, he also called for disqualification of AIADMK candidate E Madhusudhanan.

The RK Nagar bypoll, necessitated after the death of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, was earlier scheduled on 12 April, but was cancelled following allegations that sums of money were distributed in a vote-for-cash scam.

Counting of votes will be held on 24 December.

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