Busy with campaign, Jayalalitha fails to vote

CHENNAI, Feb 16: Former Chief Minister and AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalitha, failed to cast her vote in the Lok Sabha elections on Mon...

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CHENNAI, Feb 16: Former Chief Minister and AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalitha, failed to cast her vote in the Lok Sabha elections on Monday, as she is away campaigning in the southern districts for the second phase of the polls.

A resident of the Central Chennai Parliamentary constituency, where her party candidate D Jayakumar is pitted against Union Industries minister and DMK candidate Murasoli Maran, Jayalalitha was planning to make a dash to the city for casting her vote before continuing her campaign. There was a proposal to charter a flight to take her from Madurai to Chennai and back on Monday, but it was ruled out in view of the cost of the exercise exceeding the Election Commission restriction on expenses.

Party sources say that it would have been `too tiring’ for her to travel nearly 500 kms by road to the city and back, and then continue her campaign. Jayalalitha after covering, Karur, Periyakulam, Dindigul and Madurai on Sunday, continued her campaign in Madurai, Sivaganga andRamanathapuram on Monday. Jayalalitha has been campaigning the last 13 days, with only a day’s break in between.

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The party had made a representation to the Chief Electoral Officer K A Mathew for a postal ballot. However, it was not permitted, as only armed forces personnel, government officials on overseas or election duty were allowed postal ballots.

Jayakumar, who lost the precious vote of his leader refused to comment. But the disappointment is palpable among a section of the party cadres, as Central Chennai is the only constituency in the city where AIADMK is contesting.

It may be recalled that Jayalalitha had failed to cast her vote in the local body polls in 1996, as she was indisposed.