CHENNAI, FEB 19: AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalitha has shot off a letter to ChiefElection Commissioner M S Gill alleging that the ruling DMK and its alliesindulged in malpractices ``with the connivance of the police'' and hassought re-poll in Tiruchi-II constituency and some booths in the Aranthangiand Nellikuppam Assembly constituencies. In a three-page letter, copies of which were made available to the media,she said that in the Tiruchi-II constituency, DMK MP Shiva ``directed thebogus voting with the help of cell phones.'' The AIADMK poll agents whoquestioned were beaten up and chased by the police. So also mediarepresentatives. AIADMK MP P H Pandian, who objected to police connivingwith DMK partymen and indulging in poll malparactices, was also roughed up,she charged. He resorted to a dharna which was filmed by the `Jaya TV' crew.The police tried to snatch the video cassette but the vigilant crew threw itinto the crowd. Later, a member of the public handed over the video to theTV network, she said. Jayalalitha said that in Theeyathar polling booth in Aranthangi villagepolice accorded protection to S Thirunavukarasu (MP), while 400 bogus voteswere cast. The AIADMK polling agent who protested was beaten up andphysically thrown out of the booth. Such incidents occurred in seven boothsin Aranthangi and two booths in Nellikuppam constituencies, she said seekinga re-poll in those booths. Pointing out that the CEC had turned down herrequest for deployment of para-military forces, she requested that at leastthe re-polls be conducted with the help of para-military forces.
