NE NEWS SERVICE
CHENNAI, DEC 10
The posts of village panchayat president and vice president were sold through auction in a village in Panruti block of the Cuddalore district on Monday, it was alleged.
A video circulated in the social media went viral on Monday in Cuddalore district, as the sitting president of Nadukkuppam panchayat R. Sakthivel of AIADMK and A. Murugan of DMDK were elected unanimously by the people assembled in a partially constructed Draupathi Amman Temple in the panchayat were auctioned for Rs. 50 lakh and Rs. 15 lakh, respectively. The video recorded a man sitting in the middle reading out the resolution of the people for unanimous election.
It was alleged that the president unanimously elected through auction has promised to finish the construction of the Draupathi Amman Temple. And it was decided that the duo should pay the promised sum on or before December 15 and no one should file nomination papers for these two posts.
The panchayat with 8 wards has 1,900 voters. However, Sakthivel denied the allegations and said he was unanimously elected and it was a plot to tarnish his image among the people and said he will file his nomination papers on Wednesday.
Media reports suggested that the District Collector V. Anbuselvan had asked the Block Development Officer of Panruti to conduct an inquiry and send him a report.
If there had been any auction, it is illegal and would attract the provisions of the code of conduct of election and stringent action would be initiated, the collector said.
