Vaiko's polling agent seeks re-election in Virudhunagar

The MDMK has sought a re-election in Virudhunagar Lok Sabha constituency, where its leader Vaiko was defeated by Congress, alleging "largescale irregularity" in the polling process.    

"There is a large scale irregularity in the polling process," Vaiko's polling agent and Virudhunagar District CPM functionary S Balasubramanian said in a memorandum to the Returning Officer. He also charged that the victory of Vaiko had been snatched away by "unfair means".    

Vaiko was defeated by a margin of 15,764 votes by Manick Tagore of Congress. The memorandum referred to the difference of 22,773 votes (including valid postal votes) between the number of votes declared as polled on May 13 (744,880) when the election was held and the number of votes counted which was 767,653 yesterday.    

Stating that the number of votes in question was higher than the margin between Tagore and Vaiko, he said it was a "large scale irregularity."    

CPI(M) and MDMK Are part of the AIADMK-led front. A section of the MDMK workers blocked the road traffic near Virudhunagar to protest the "irreconcilability" of figures in the number of votes polled and counted.