| Party
supporters clash at Viralipatti, election held up
Madurai, May 10: Election was held up at Viralipattiin Vattalagundu
in Dindigul district when members of two parties clashed on the
issue of bogus voters and damaged electronic voting machines.
Police reinforcements
have been sent to the spot to help the authorities to resume polling,
police sources said.
In Madurai,
polling was marred by road blockades at three places by irate voters,
who could not vote as their names were missing despite possessing
identity cards.
In another incident
election observer G.G. Thomson was mobbed by a group of women voters
protesting against disallowing them to vote despite having id cards.
Police had to persuade the voters to disperse, sources said.
Meanwhile, the
Madurai district collector V. Thangavelu said the voters were given
sufficient time to check if their names figured in the voters list.
Notifications and press statements were issued in this regard to
which only a few had responded while majority ignored, he said.
Chief electoral
officer Mrithunjay Sarangi, however, denied receiving reports of
incidents of bogus voting, impersonation or intimidation of voters.
He told reporters
in Chennai that till 9 a.m. over seven per cent of voters had cast
their votes and this was as good as in the previous elections.
He said there
were no incidents of violence reported so far. In Coimbatore city,
a car, two vans and two autorickshaws were impounded by police and
similarly in Madurai, a bus was impounded, he said.(PTI)
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