Anaicut result to be announced by EC

Vellore, May 11 (UNI) The results of Anaicut Assembly constituency, from where Tamil Nadu Agriculture Minister K Pandurangan is seeking re-election, would be announced by the Election Commission of India, as a discrepancy was noted in an EVM.

Official sources told UNI Mr Pandurangam of the ruling AIADMK led his rival Ms Varalakshmi of PMK by 53 votes at the end of counting, which was marred by a hitch.

When the counting was about to be completed, Mr Pandurangan was ahead by a mere 39 votes. The counting process had to be stopped after the last EVM, taken up for counting, showed 'zero entry', though the list showed that votes were polled from the booth at Gururajapalaym in Vellore district.

Electronic engineers, who rushed to the counting centre from Chennai on being informed about the 'snag', found that the officials had inadvertently brought a spare EVM from the strong room instead of the one in which the votes were actually polled.

After the correct EVM was taken up for counting, it showed that 1,035 votes were polled, of which Mr Pandurangan and Mrs Varalakshmi secured 391 and 377 votes respectively.

This increased the winning margin of Mr Pandurangan from 39 to 53. At the end of counting, the AIADMK nominee had polled 59,220 votes and his rival 59,167 votes.

As agents of both candidates raised objections, the issue was referred to the EC for a final decision.

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