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ELECTIONS '96

Jaya to move court for recounting of votes in Tirupattur

Former Tamil Nadu chief minister and All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary J Jayalalitha today declared that her party would move the Madras high court seeking a re-count of votes polled in the Tirupattur constituency where the DMK candidate was declared elected by a slender margin of 274 votes.

Jayalalitha said the authorities were wrong to turn down a request for a recount by her party candidate S Krishnamurthy.

"We are confident of wresting the seat from the DMK if the court orders a re-count," she said.

Reacting to the party's spectacular peformance, in total contrast to the poll predictions, she said this only showed that the people of the state had faith, confidence and trust in her party, "particularly in me".

She said the pre-poll and exit poll results were part of a deliberate campaign to demoralise the party workers and counting agents, as was done in the 1996 election. "Many AIADMK agents, swayed by the reports, had abandoned the counting centres in the last election, but this time we had decided not not to let it happen," she said.