Cash for votes makes a return in TN's Erode bypoll

It is a sea of men clad in veshtis with distinctive party colour border design seeking votes with a smile and folded hands for their party candidates. The town is abuzz, with electioneering at its peak, and teeming trendy cars criss-cross the busy roads and bylanes bringing in more and more leaders from elsewhere for campaign.

The February 27 bypoll to Erode (East) assembly constituency in Tamil Nadu has emerged as the mother of all by-elections in the state mainly for 'experiments' by parties with 'new formulae' to win.

No wonder, claims on a variety of inducements to voters by parties have become the talk of the town. The kind of attention the bypoll is getting from the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the principal opposition All India Anna DMK is striking.

Herding people in sheds to prevent rivals from approaching them, cash for votes, attractive gifts including branded clothing, 1-gram gold coins and silver articles, organising tours to tourist places and providing fresh meat during the weekend – all form part of the alleged 'new formulas’.

The total value of gifts and cash to a 'target' family of four voters may be around Rs 10,000 or even above, if allegations from several quarters are true.

Election officials maintained that round-the-clock surveillance is on and as and when they receive a complaint, they take all steps to prevent bribing voters. No allegation on gifts or cash for votes hs so far been proven, they said. 

On gifts and cash, local people hesitantly said that the 'offer' is from supporters of both the DMK, which is backing Congress nominee EVKS Elangovan (whose MLA son’s death caused the bypoll), and the AIADMK as well. The main opposition has fielded its former MLA from Erode, KS Thennarasu.

Some said the ruling party loyalists are more 'generous,' and they hoped the AIADMK would 'match' the governing party workers' 'magnanimity’. A few men and women just smiled and walked away when asked if they accepted inducement of any kind.

Erode in western Tamil Nadu, about 400 km from Chennai, is noted for its powerlooms. While the AIADMK and its ally the Bharatiya Janata Party have alleged it is the ruling party which is using dubious formulas to win, the DMK-Congress combine has trashed such accusations.

Elangovan, also a former Union minister, told PTI that such allegations are completely false.

"Losing parties always come up with such allegations. They cannot admit that they do not have the people's support and that it is the reason for their defeat. On the contrary, they come up with false allegations and that is the usual practice. I am sure I will win with a big margin," he said.

K S Thennarasu, a two-time MLA from Erode and AIADMK nominee, said that the people trust only the AIADMK and he would be the winner in the bypoll. He alleged that the DMK-Congress combine has resorted to dubious methods to secure votes.

Filmmaker turned politician Seeman-led Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) is very active on the ground and though the main contest is between Elangovan and Thennarasu, NTK's Meneka Navaneethan is expected to put up a spirited fight. The NTK is targeting both the DMK and AIADMK and a clash erupted between the supporters of the ruling party and the Seeman-led party.

Meneka said: "People are being diverted. They are given money. It is very difficult to spot voters. Both the DMK and AIADMK take them away and put them up in a particular place."

She alleged that Rs 500 is paid for those who stay put till the afternoon and if they continue in the evening Rs 500 more is provided to them. AIADMK interim chief Edappadi K Palaniswami in his campaign dared the DMK to send people out of the 'sheds.'

Meneka claimed a variety of gift items like pressure cooker, anklets are being showered on voters.

"People have shown the veshtis and saris they have received. Both the DMK and AIADMK are competing in giving away such gifts. This is a big challenge. Erode East bypoll has turned out to be the choice place for new formulas," she said. 

Pleasure trips have been organised for voters, and on Sunday mornings meat bags were distributed at the doorstep, she alleged.

"These are all new and they (Dravidian parties) are doing it to attract people and get their votes. By unleashing their money power, they are only deceiving the people."

In their campaign, the NTK underscores that at least Rs 300 crore has been pumped in by the Dravidian majors for the bypoll, she said. "The winner will only try to get the money back, and cash for votes is disastrous." 

Coimbatore based V Eswaran, who approached Madras high court against bribing voters and misuse of money power in polls, is running a campaign in Erode against cash for votes. Along with volunteers, he is addressing people in a public address system fitted mini-truck saying giving and taking cash for votes is murder of democracy.

"Top leaders of both the DMK and AIADMK should give an assurance in Erode that they will not give money for votes and that they are committed to eradicate this culture of providing cash for votes," he said, adding that people should also pledge to end the trend of inducements.

The extent of allegations on cash and gifts has even led to speculation on the possibility of the Election Commission 'cancelling' the bypoll.

The campaigning is in full swing, and it begins as early as 6 am goes up to 9 pm. Batches of party workers, both men and women, with electoral rolls in their hands, check for the presence of voters. Besides door-to-door canvassing, convincing community leaders to ensure votes for their candidates is given special attention. 

While the DMK regime deputed almost all of its ministers including Chief Minister M K Stalin's son Udhayanidhi for the campaign, the AIADMK too has left no stone unturned to wrest the constituency from its arch rival. Although the candidate is from the Congress, it is undoubtedly the DMK's poll show.

Stalin is all set to campaign on February 25, the last day for electioneering. Ministers S Muthusamy and V Senthil Balaji, who hail from Erode and Karur respectively, appear to be the pivots around which the DMK's election work for the Congress is going on.

The ruling party is making great effort to ensure that the nominee of its Congress ally wins by a massive margin as the outcome may be viewed as a sort of referendum over its nearly two-year old government and it would also set the tone for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

The bypoll is the first in Tamil Nadu after the DMK assumed power in 2021.

The AIADMK, under the leadership of Palaniswami, is straining every nerve to demonstrate that it continues to be a force to reckon with in the state, especially in the western region which is considered its bastion.

Good electoral performance would also mean the public endorsement of Palaniswami's leadership, in addition to the people's court's validation of rival O Panneerselvam's expulsion from the AIADMK.

The AIADMK's campaign in Erode often refers to the DMK regime doing away with welfare schemes initiated during its regime, like the 'Thalikku Thangam' scheme (gold for marriage) and the ruling party 'failing miserably' to deliver on its promises.

The bypoll was necessitated due to the demise of legislator E Thirumahan Everaa, son of noted Congress leader and former Union minister Elangovan (who is in the fray in the bypoll).

Senguntha Mudaliyar and Kongu Gounder communities form a chunk of the electorate. Islamic organisations and parties have pledged their support to the Congress nominee.

Including the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam’s Anand, as many as 77 contestants are in the fray, which is among the highest in any poll or bypoll. In 2011, the AIADMK backed DMDK won Erode East and in 2016 Thennarasu won the seat.

In the 2021 assembly election, the number of contestants was 14 and 12 forfeited deposit, and only the winning Congress (DMK ally) candidate E Thirumahan Everaa and the runner-up M Yuvaraja of Tamil Maanila Congress-Moopanar who contested on the AIADMK's Two leaves symbol retained their deposit. Everaa won by a margin of 8,904 votes.

The constituency has 2,27,547 voters, and women (1,16,497) are more than men (1,11,025) while 25 fall under the third gender category. The total number of polling stations is 238. The campaigning ends at 5 pm on February 25 and votes will be counted on March 2.