RK Nagar bypoll: Nominations of actor Vishal, Jaya's niece Deepa rejected

After several flip flops, it was on Tuesday confirmed that actor Vishal Krishna’s nomination papers for the December 21 RK Nagar Assembly bypoll were rejected by the Election Commission. The poll body has also rejected the nomination of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's niece Deepa Jayakumar for the bypoll in the assembly seat her aunt once represented. 

Earlier, Vishal had claimed that his nomination was accepted after initial rejection.  “Honesty and justice have won,” Vishal declared.

“My nomination was rejected on the grounds of two persons who signed my affidavit as proposers told the Election authorities that their signatures were forged. I submitted the audio conversation that revealed those two were threatened. After the investigation, my nomination was accepted,” he told reporters.

Earlier, the returning officer of the RK Nagar seat rejected the Vishal’s nomination when two proposers who signed his affidavit told him in person that their signatures were forged. Vishal, however, released an audio of his telephonic conversation with one of his supporters whose wife signed the nomination papers. Audio clip suggested that the ruling AIADMK’s supporter threatened the family of one of the two proposers who claimed his signature on actor Vishal's nomination papers in R K Nagar was forged. 

“Whatever mentioned in the audio clip was the truth. However, I don’t want to go into who was against me or who is instigating it. From tomorrow, I am going to campaign in RK Nagar,” he said.

"Really thankful to the Election Commission for doing the right thing," the actor said. 

Vishal, the president of Tamil Nadu Film Producers Council, had filed his nomination as an independent candidate for R K Nagar Assembly in Chennai on Monday. 

“I want to be the people's representative to do good for them and fulfill all their requests and wishes,” he said after filling his nomination.

Deepa's nomination was rejected by the poll body after several discrepancies were found in her form, ANI reported. The returning officer rejected her nomination for leaving several columns in the affidavit blank. 

Reacting to the rejection of her papers, Deepa said, "There is a column where we talk about inheritance of property & I have mentioned that. It's not mandatory. That's not a reason enough to reject this application. All other information I have provided are perfect." 

Deepa accused the ruling AIADMK for the rejection of her nomination. 

“I got a call from senior AIADMK leader who asked me not file the nomination for the bypoll. Even if I file, the person who I don’t want to name threatened that my nomination would be rejected. But I ignored it and went ahead to file my nomination. Now it was rejected at their behest,” she claimed. 

She pointed out that her nomination papers were accepted for the April 12 bypoll which was later cancelled following allegations of voter bribery. 

The nominations for the bypoll in Radhakrishnan Nagar Assembly constituency, necessitated by the death of Jayalalithaa, who was the sitting MLA, last year began on November 27, with  December 4 being the last date. 

As many as 145 nominations were received from aspirants seeking to contest the bypoll. Currently, scrutiny of nominations is on and an official update on the total number of papers accepted and rejected is expected later. The last date for withdrawal of candidature is December 7.

Polling will take place on December 21 and counting of votes and declaration of results will take place on December 24.   

Sidelined AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran, who lost the battle for the party’s ‘two leaves’ symbol when the Election Commission awarded it to the camp led by Chief Minister K Palaniswami and his deputy O Panneerselvam, has also filed his papers.

AIADMK presidium chairman and party’s nominee E Madhusudhanan and DMK’s M Maruthuganesh have also filed their nominations with election officials here for the bypoll.