CEO chooses not to vote in TN

Chennai, May 8 (UNI) Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer Naresh Gupta, shouldering the reponsibility of ensuring a peaceful poll in a state of over 4.63 crore voters, abstained from exercising his franchise today.

'Being in this position (the CEO's post), I have decided not to cast my vote for any party ,' he told UNI here.

However, Special CEO C P Singh, who was appointed by the Election Commission a few months ago to share the heavy workload of the state election machinery, was the first to cast his vote in the polling station near his residence.

The CEO's office was caught in the crossfire between the two arch rivals - ruling AIADMK and DMK - in the run up to the elections, with both the Dravidian parties levelling a series of code violation charges on each other.

The state election machinery, which strived to prove its impartiality in ensuring parties' compliance with the Model Code, drew the ire of both AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa and DMK chief M Karunanidhi for alleged 'inaction on their complaints.' While the AIADMK criticised the EC for disallowing continuance of some State Government schemes, the DMK charged the CEO with adopting a 'partisan attitude.' Anguished at the barrage of criticism, Mr Gupta had said any political party that did not have confidence in him could seek his transfer.

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