Shots were fired in the air in Theni’s Andipatti on Tuesday after AMMK cadre allegedly refused to let police officials discharge their duty. Speaking to TNM, Andipatti DSP Seenivasan said that the flying squad got a tip-off that cash was being hoarded by AMMK party members with the intention to bribe voters ahead of the April 18 Lok Sabha Election. “When we reached, 4 of the AMMK party members refused to let us in. Four rounds were fired in the air to control the situation.”
The DSP said four persons have been detained while flying squad members are now counting the cash that has been seized.
The Andipatti Assembly constituency is also set for bye-polls on April 18, along with the Lok Sabha Elections. Former AIADMK MLA Thanga Tamilchelvan was disqualified after he, along with 17 of his colleagues, extended support to current RK Nagar MLA and AMMK leader TTV Dhinakaran. This time around, however, the MLA is contesting in the Theni Lok Sabha constituency while the AMMK candidate for Andipatti is R Jayakumar.
The latest incident comes even as Income Tax raids take place at DMK candidate for Thoothukudi Kanimozhi’s residence in Thoothukudi. It also comes after the Lok Sabha Elections to the Vellore parliamentary seat was cancelled by the Election Commission after cash was seized from DMK candidate Kathir Anand’s residence. DMK President MK Stalin has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of using the Election Commission to tarnish the reputation of the DMK.
Tamil Nadu will see Lok Sabha Elections in 38 out of 39 constituencies with bye-elections scheduled for 18 out of the 22 constituencies on April 18. The remaining four Assembly seats will see bye-polls on May 19. The results will be announced on May 23.
Source: The News Minute