DMK chief MK Stalin and Vellore candidate Kathir Anand booked for violating MCC over meeting with Muslim groups

The DMK president MK Stalin with the candidate of Vellore Lok Sabha constituency met with several leaders of Muslim party and organisation at a private wedding hall at Ambur area of in the constituency, ahead of the polling which is slated to take place on August 5.

However, after their meeting, the Vellore police has booked the DMK president MK Stalin, party's Vellore LS candidate Kathir Anand and one named Rafeeq Ahmed (owner of the hall) for conducting a meeting without taking permission from the Election Commission.

Based on the complaint filed by the returning officer of Ambur area, Vellore Police booked MK Stalin, Kathir Anand (party's Lok Sabha candidate) and one more person under Sections 171F (Punishment for undue influence or personation at an election) 171C (Whoever voluntarily interferes or attempts to interfere with the free exercise of any electoral right commits the offence of undue influence at an election) and 188 IPC (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servants). As soon as the election flying squad got information about the meeting, they informed the higher officials and the hall was immediately sealed by the officials for not taking prior permission when the Election model code of conduct was on.

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Amid the development, BJP jumped in the matter calling it as "Communal politics", BJP's senior spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathy welcomed the move of EC and taking to Twitter said that "Meeting members of specific groups should be called as Communal politics and let's send Communal DMK to home".

Meanwhile, on the other hand, the DMK is claiming that they don't need to get permission for such indoor meetings. Speaking in the matter, DMK spokesperson A Saravanan said that "its highhandedness of EC to book our leaders for meeting the people who are going for the Haj pilgrimage. It doesn't have anything to do with the election campaign and we don't need to take permission from EC to meet the people which doesn't involve politics". 

During the 2019 Lok Sabha election which took place between April-May, the Election Commission had countermanded polls in the Vellore constituency in the light of 'cash for votes' controversy over the IT raids in which crores of money were seized at the priorities of the DMK candidate Kathir Anand and his aides. Weeks after the announcement of results, the EC recently notified that the polling in Vellore will take place on August 5 and the counting of votes will take place on August 9.

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