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The first phase of civic elections in Tamil Nadu has ended amid opposition complaints of election fraud, including bogus voting, intimidation of officials and voters, and about names missing from electoral rolls.
The Election Commission said the turnout from among the 30 million voters in the first phase was 56 per cent in rural areas and 52 per cent in urban areas. The second phase of voting will take place on Thursday.
In the first phase, liquor and cash flowed freely throughout the polling day on Tuesday, well into early Wednesday, as officials took stock and ordered re-polling in many booths.
Inebriated gatherings at street corner auto-rickshaw stands and teashops were a testimony to all that had happened during the grass-root elections. People reported arguments between apparent goons and police, scaring away voters.
The commission has ordered re-polling in seven Madras booths. These will take place on Friday and final results are expected on Saturday.
Madras city, a DMK bastion, was witness to skirmishes between local groups opposing each other throughout the day - quarrels even the keenly fought assembly elections in May did not see.
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham president M Karunanidhi said his party would ask the Election Commission to hold re-polling in 353 booths in the Madras corporation limits where he alleged supporters of the ruling All India Anna DMK indulged in violence and fraud.
The Congress party official in charge of Tamil Nadu, Ramesh Chennithala, alleged 'widespread intimidation in many booths in Madras' and said he had reported the matter to the Election Commission.
The largest number of complaints has been against two AIADMK leaders - P K Sekar Babu, an MLA who allegedly instigated bogus voting in Tenampet and Gopalpuram areas and at Stella Mary's College.
Incidentally, Karunanidhi casts his vote in Gopalpuram while AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa votes at Stella Mary's College.
Supporters of 'Karate' T Thyagarajan, a former Congress councillor who is now in the AIADMK and is contesting the councillor's post from Thirvanmiyur, are being accused of going on the rampage in south Madras and attacking staff members of Sun TV who were filming the polling.
Thyagarajan has denied the charges.
Scuffles between opposing groups were also reported from the Adayar and Mylapore areas.
In several booths at Madurai and Madras, adverse conditions forced suspension of voting for three to four hours.
A sitting Tamil Maanila Congress councillor has been accused of assaulting poll officials at Triplicane while a DMK election office in the Kosapet area of outer Madras was set ablaze.
Director General of Police B P Nailwal says the complaints are exaggerated. But similar complaints have poured in from all over the state.
In Thiruvallur district's Thalayaripalayam village, a mob supporting an independent candidate reportedly threatened voters and threw stones at the police, injuring many.
Police fired in the air to beat back the attack.
Supporters of one party tried to coerce voters at Kambermallur panchayat in Dharmapuri district.
At a village in Virudhunagar district, police fired in the air to disperse clashing crowds while voters at Cuddalore, Coimbatore and Tirunelveli blocked roads to protest against deletion of their names from the voters' list.
The Communist Party of India-Marxist on Wednesday complained that gangs belonging to the AIADMK chased away supporters of other parties from polling stations.
Dalit Panther party leader R Thirumavalvan alleged that AIADMK supporters attacked his party's candidate in Villupuram district.
The Pattali Makkal Katchi has also alleged large-scale intimidation of voters.
In the newly carved out southern district of Ariyalur, a mob ransacked a polling station.
In between, a woman DMK candidate from Erode died in a car accident.
Indo-Asian News Service
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