Political workers in Tamil Nadu's Panruti assembly constituency were caught on camera bribing voters at night.
Highlights
- Political workers in Panruti caught on camera bribing voters
- The going rate, as heard in the video, is Rs 1,000 for every vote
- Tamil Nadu goes to polls on May 16, results will be announced May 19
Ahead of May 16 vote, political workers in Tamil Nadu's Panruti assembly constituency have been caught on camera bribing voters at night. The going rate as heard in the video is Rs 1,000 for every vote.
In the video, a group of men, one of them with cash in hand, is seen coming out of a house. After giving the money, one of them is heard saying, "vote for two leaves" -- the party symbol of ruling AIADMK.
The authenticity of the video could not be ascertained by NDTV.
After the video clip became public, AIADMK blamed DMK. "Everybody wants to vote for Amma, why should we give money? The DMK is doing this," said AIADMK spokesperson CR Saraswathi.
The DMK has denied the allegations. "This is just the tip of the iceberg. What's in circulation is at least fifty times to hundred times of what has been seized. If they say DMK has done this, let them take action," said A Saravanan.
The Election Commission has seized a record 100 crore of unaccounted cash since poll notification. This is four times higher than Rs 25 crore seized during the last Lok Sabha polls.
Authorities even suspect large amount of cash was transported in ambulances, in some cases.
For the first time the Election Commission has incorporated information technology and has roped in the Income Tax Department to address this issue. Officials say every SMS alert, tip off and online complaints are acted upon. Even the flying squads are monitored via GPS.