Jaya to boycott if incumbent SEC holds polls

Chennai, Jan 19: Expressing lack of faith in State Election Commissioner (SEC), AIADMK General Secretary J Jayalalithaa today announced her party would stage a boycott if fresh elections for 99 wards in Chennai Corporation were conducted under his guidance.

Stating no justice could be expected from SEC D Chandrasekaran, she said it would be a mockery if the elections were conducted under him.

As long as Mr Chandrasekaran remained as SEC, no election should be conducted for any of the local bodies in the state. If he did not come forward to resign on his own, legal steps should be initiated to remove him from power, she said in a statement here.

Following Madras High Court's split verdict on a bunch of petitions by the AIADMK and others seeking fresh corporation polls in the wake of alleged largescale violence and boothcapturing during October elections, DMK President and Chief Minister M Karunanidhi announced councillors of the DPA allies, who had won the contentious 99 wards, would resign and seek a fresh election.

Accordingly, Corporation Mayor M Subramanian and Councillors belonging to the DMK, Congress, PMK and DPI had resigned, paving way for fresh elections.

Ms Jayalalithaa demanded the resignation of Mr Karunanidhi and Local Administration Minister M K Stalin 'owning moral responsibility for the violence during elections.' She also said Director General of Police D Mukherjee, Chennai Commissioner of Police Letika Saran and other high officials of the City Police Commissionarate should be removed from their posts for being ''supportive to rowdy elements during polling.'' The Chennai Corporation should be dissolved and a fresh election conducted for all 155 wards to 'rectify the mistake,' she demanded.

Ms Jayalalithaa also stressed that the re-election for the Chennai Corporation should be conducted under Army protection.

It may be recalled the SEC conducted re-poll for some of the corporation wards after the opposition parties and the DMK's ally CPI(M) alleged largescale malpractices.

However, expressing lack of faith in the SEC, the AIADMK and its ally, Marumalarchi DMK, had boycotted the repoll.

UNI