Congress MP S Jothimani on Friday alleged “serious irregularities” in the allotment of constituencies and selection of the party’s candidates as well for the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections scheduled on April 23.
She alleged that widespread irregularities occurred within the Congress Party and electoral districts were sought and allocated to suit the candidates who had already been selected.
“Under the guise of ‘surveys’, widespread corruption is reported to have taken place. Senior party workers who have served the party for decades and individuals with real prospects of winning have been sidelined, while many new entrants and candidates with little or no electoral prospects have been given opportunities after constituencies were negotiated specially for them,” MP Karur said.
Some of those who had the opportunity to run in the elections either left the party or became inactive within days after the election. He asked, “Who gave these individuals opportunities? On what basis were they selected? What action was taken against those responsible for these mistakes?” I asked on “X”.
Without an investigation into the allocation of electoral districts and selection of candidates, the formation of a committee to investigate only alleged anti-party activities during the elections was merely an arrangement to protect those actually responsible for these irregularities.
“The committee for allotment of constituencies and selection of candidates was chaired by Shri Girish Chodankar, in-charge of Tamil Nadu. As per Congress party rules, the allegations against that committee can only be investigated by the All India Congress Committee. The officials of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee do not have the authority to conduct such an investigation,” Jothimani said.
If the Congress really wants to reform itself, it must conduct a proper investigation into the Tamil Nadu Assembly electoral process. Strict action must be taken against those responsible for these violations. She added that only then can the confidence of party workers be restored.
Pointing out that in many state elections, allegations regarding the allocation of electoral districts and the selection of candidates persist, she said that sometimes, these same issues become one of the reasons for electoral defeat. But instead of investigating, those responsible often enjoy protection.
“Watching the Tamil Nadu candidate selection process from close quarters was quite shocking. Such open and blatant irregularities will become a major setback for the future of the party. The Congress party has the historic responsibility of protecting this country from the BJP and Narendra Modi. Our leader Rahul Gandhi has been relentlessly fighting for this cause,” she said.
Such internal irregularities were steadily eroding the confidence of Congress party workers. “If we are to stand firm as a strong opposition force and succeed politically, the votes of workers, district and block presidents within the party must be respected. The party must work honestly and transparently. Let the electoral reforms that the Congress urgently needs start from Tamil Nadu,” she said in the post, which tagged party chief Mallikarjun Kharg.
