There has been a fresh twist to the high intensity fight ahead of the RK Nagar bye-polls in Chennai. After he sat down in protest against the rejection of his candidature, the Returning Officer has now kept actor Vishal's nomination papers in abeyance. This after Vishal had challenged the rejection of his nomination papers by the Returning Officer on Tuesday.
Reports suggest that the Election Commission have accepted Vishal's petition challenging the rejection of his nomination.
Actor Vishal’s nomination papers for the RK Nagar bye-elections was rejected by Returning Officer on Tuesday. He was the second high-profile candidate to have his nomination papers rejected, after MGR Amma Deepa Peravai's Deepa.
His nomination papers were rejected as two of the proposer's signatures were allegedly forged.
But hours after the decision, the actor held a news conference to announce that his papers had been accepted.
"All good things take effort and we protested here today till we got justice. The claim that two signatures were forged is a lie," said the actor. "I thank the Election Commission for this decision," he added.
The actor had earlier alleged that the AIADMK had threatened two of his proposers, forcing them to claim their signatures were forged.
Minutes after the rejection was announced, Vishal and his team of supporters started a sit-in protest outside the Returning Officer's office. As soon as the protest began, the Chennai police surrounded the protesters and demanded that they vacate the area.
Deepa who earlier spoke to TNM said that, "The AIADMK is scared of Vishal's star power. That is why they may be trying to ensure he doesn't contest."
Vishal, who is Nadigar Sangam's General Secretary and the President of the Tamil Film Producers Council, had taken many by surprise by announcing his political entry on Saturday. He had filed his nomination papers on Monday – the last day for filing.