No Assembly constituency anywhere in the country has ever had as many Central Observers as RK Nagar, no far appointed nine Central Observers to monitor the December 21 bypoll , which was countert even Bihar. The Election Commission of India has somanded in April last following unbriddled voter inducement.

“Manvendra Goyal, Commissioner of Income Tax (Appeal), Tiruchirappalli will function as one of the expenditure observers from December 18 to December 21, the date of polling. He will be briefing the Commission personally on December 22,” a communication from the ECI said.

Vikram Batra, IRS, one of the directors in the ECI office in Delhi, has been appointed to coordinate overall activities of the full election machinery in RK Nagar. Batra who is arriving on Saturday, will be stationed at the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Rajesh Lakhoni.

For the politicial class though, it was business as usual. Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam on Friday targeted DMK working president M K Stalin during their campaign in various parts of the constituency.

The Chief Minister recalled the developmental works implemented by the former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa in RK Nagar and how the DMK had ignored this constituency while Stalin was Chennai Mayor as well as Local Administration Minister.

“Many roads in this constituency were relaid as concrete roads and more than 900 electric poles were fitted with LED lights,” he added.

Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam said Jayalalithaa had implemented many welfare schemes for women.

From the DMK side, MDMK leader Vaiko hit the campaign trail for the first time for his parent party after more than a decade. In charaterstic style, he launched a broadside against the ruling party, predicting it would not stay in power for long.

“They have turned stooges of the Centre, having lost self-respect. The government has mortgaged the rights of the State. The people must throw it out. The outcome of the RK Nagar by-election must herald the change,” he roared.

Singling out the chief minister for his alleged inaction in dealing with the destructive cyclone Ockhi, he wondered where the CM was hiding for 12 days before arriving in the cyclone-hit Kanniyakumari district.
VCK’s Thirumavalavan too hit the streets to canvassing for Marudhu Ganesh.

New Veeranam scheme

“You (women) have sprinkled flowers to welcome us. But Stalin, wherever he goes, rolls out bags of lies. DMK president M Karunanidhi, during his tenure as CM, failed to implement the Veeranam scheme. But Amma made it a reality by implementing New Veeranam scheme and provided drinking water to Chennai residents,” Deputy CM O Panneerselvam said