'Candidate's murder will not affect poll'

Karur, Apr 29: The poll process in Krishnarayapuram Assembly constituency in Karur district, where Tamil Nadu Jananayaka Congress (TNJC) candidate P Ponnusamy was murdered, will not be affected, Chief Returning Officer and District Collector A Karthik said today.

Talking to UNI, he said Ponnusamy filed nomination papers as TNJC candidate. During scrutiny, it was found that TNJC was a registered political party but not recognised by the Election Commission. So, Ponnusamy's death would not affect the electoral process, he said.

Ponnusamy's name was present in ballot papers meant for personnel in the services like defence. As postal ballots had not yet been despatched, a clarification had been sought from the EC whether the victim's name should be included in the electronic voting machine (EVM) list and the postal ballots, he added.

It might be recalled that the body of Ponnusamy, reported missing since Thursday, was recovered in a dry canal on the Thaliapatti bypass near Vellianai, here yesterday. The body was identified last evening by his relatives. The body was found beaten up with wooden logs and the limbs were fractured. It also bore over 20 stab injuries.

The motive behind Ponnusamy's murder was not known. Police have launched a massive hunt to nab the culprits.

UNI