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March 9, 1998

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ELECTIONS '96

Swamy complains to Gill about big baddie Tamil telly

Janata Party president Dr Subramanian Swamy has complained to the Election Commission against a Tamil private television channel which allegedly reported he was trailing in his constituency hours before the vote counting started.

Dr Swamy claimed the channel was making such announcements to create 'disaffection among the Janata Party and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam workers'. Contrary to the announcement he was leading by 3,500 votes in the first round and the trend continued in the subsequent rounds.

This was not the first time the channel was announcing the results even before the ballot boxes were opened, he said. Citing the examples of AIADMK leader Jayalalitha Jayaram's and his own defeat from Madurai, he alleged the channel, owned by the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, was doing all this to create a condition which could lead to the countermanding of the election.

He said the EC had enough provisions under the law to counter such 'gross interference in free and fair election.' In addition, Article 324 of the Constitution, he wrote to Chief Election Commissioner Dr M S Gill, empowers the Commission to take necessary corrective measures.

UNI

Elections '98

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