A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker in Coimbatore was arrested for allegedly distributing money to voters on Wednesday, April 17. The man, identified as Jothimani, was reportedly distributing the money from a tea shop in Coimbatore’s Pooluvapatti. After receiving information about the cash distribution, the Election Commission’s (EC) flying squad officials searched Jothimani’s residence. The officials found and seized Rs 81,000 in cash and several booth slips from him, according to reports.
Coimbatore is one of the key constituencies in Tamil Nadu in the upcoming elections. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has fielded Ganapathy P Rajkumar, who was earlier the Mayor of Coimbatore city municipality. Other candidates in the fray are All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK)’s Singai G Ramachandran and BJP’s Annamalai.
Earlier this month, the EC’s flying squad had nabbed three persons at the Tambaram railway station in Chennai carrying seven bags and suitcases of cash worth Rs 4 crore. The money reportedly belonged to BJP candidate from Tirunelveli and sitting MLA Nainar Nagendran. One of the persons who was caught with the cash was identified as Satish, who is working as the manager of the Blue Diamond Hotel in Chennai. Satish is related to Nagendran and is also reported to be a BJP member.
Police sources told TNM that they got suspicious as Satish and his two accomplices, Naveen and Perumal, had given a letter to qualify for Emergency Quota (EQ) tickets that was written on Nagendran’s official letterhead. Earlier, the trio had taken a room at the Blue Diamond Hotel to receive the cash and pack it in different suitcases.
Tamil Nadu will go to the polls in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections on April 19. The results will be announced on June 4.