A letter addressed to the Chief Electoral Officer of Tamil Nadu by an electoral officer in the Nilgiris Lok Sabha constituency alleged that the Returning Officer displayed “favouritism” towards DMK candidate A Raja.
In his complaint letter, Assistant Expenditure Observer P Saravanan alleged that Returning Officer M Aruna was “harassing him” and personally looking into all the expenses related to A Raja.
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He further claimed that Aruna was attempting to manipulate the accounting procedures to benefit A Raja and that he was facing difficulties for not aligning with the RO’s bias toward the DMK candidate.
“The expenditures booked in the Shadow Observation Register of our team differ much more lakhs compared to the book of accounts of the candidate, A Raja. In order to downward the booked expenditure, the Returning Officer is repeatedly harassing me,” he said.
Meanwhile, PTI reported that Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahoo said “steps will follow” based on reports of officials on the allegation of a poll expenditure official that the Returning Officer of Nilgiris Lok Sabha constituency is showing favouritism towards DMK candidate A Raja.
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When asked about the allegation, Sahoo told reporters, “We have taken note of this based on the press report. After receiving reports from concerned officials, further steps will follow.”
The senior state election official responded to a query regarding the accusation made by an assistant expenditure observer in Nilgiris, claiming that the Returning Officer exhibited bias toward the DMK candidate A Raja, “and that he has requested interference from top poll officials to ensure free and fair polls.”
(With inputs from agencies)
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Published: 12 Apr 2024, 08:09 AM IST