EMAIL SENT TO TN ELECTION COMMISSION - Congratulations and Words of Appreciation to EC - 03.05.2011

COASTAL PEOPLE’S FEDERATION

11/106B, CAPTAIN COMPOUND,

AROCKIAPURAM MAIN ROAD,

THOOTHUKUDI – 628002

Phone: 0461- 2361699, Email: cpfsouth@gmail.com, Mob: 98421 54073

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Ref: No: CPF: 40/2011

03.05.2011

To

The Chief Election Officer,

Principal Secretary to Government,
Public (Elections) Department
Secretariat, Chennai - 600 009

SUB: Congratulations and Words of Appreciation to EC.

Respected Sir,

Greetings from CPF.

Before we begin to appreciate the role of the Tamilnadu Election Commission in conducting the 14^th Tamilnadu State Assembly Election on 13.04.2011 and 16.04.2011 in an orderly manner, We would like to acknowledge and thank once again the TN EC for already acceding to CPF’s demand to postpone the Public established a contact to Public hearing for the proposed expansion of 2*800MW Super Critical coal based Thermal Power Plant “Coastal Energen Pvt.Ltd. scheduled to be held at Thoothukudi Collectorate on 18.03.2011 when the code of election conduct was in place.

We appreciate very much the Election Commission and the team of officials who were really committed and put their heart and soul to conduct the Elections very fairly.

The Election Commission was unbiased in dealing with the Political parties and the contesting candidates in thwarting the cash distribution to voters. Though the un accounted money seized during the raids were yet unclaimed by the candidates, the EC should also probe into such cash seizures and find out the source of their transfers and make criminal proceedings against the persons who held the money or persons who dropped the money and ran away.

Thanks to EC also for making an elaborate security arrangements in making people to vote by dispelling any fear among voters.

Congrats to EC for sensitizing the voters to vote by all means by way of erecting hoardings, conducting campaigns and rallies and media advertisements.

The voters were prevented and made to hardships by enquiring into their reasons for trying to opt for “49 (O) “section in the election and their identities were not kept secret. So, we request the EC to incorporate the “49 (O)” option in the EVM in the Next Election onwards.

We request the EC to make the voters know that their choice of candidates is effected rightly while pressing the button in the EVM, we request to EC to provide a print out to voters to verify that their choice is effected rightly.

We request the EC to halt by all means the political parties and the independent candidates about the habit of announcing freebies in their election manifestos to elicit votes.

We request the election Commission to owe the entire responsibility of spending and bear the cost of election spending of each candidate ( 234 Constituencies ) or by making the party to make some deposits to election commission ,if need be, The Individual candidate Spending and Parties spending money lavishly in the constituencies pave way for the large scale bribing of voters. Such practice should be abolished by Election Commission in the forth coming elections by altering this trend and enhance the real flourishing of democracy.

We request the EC commission to forbid strictly the candidates with criminal background and persons of ill repute from contesting the elections. If this trend is allowed to continue, the voters will lose their faith in the democracy and will never turn to booths to exercise their franchises. This would make our democracy a mockery and more susceptible to corruption.

EC has an enormous power to effect such changes and implement the same. It has a duty and moral responsibility to help the people to elect good representatives to lead a democracy.

We would like to appreciate the TN EC for conducting surprise checks and raids to forbid the political parties and the candidates from bribing voters.

We also would like to register our observations in the southern districts that the TN EC commission, in the last two days before the polling, has let go off the vehicles without any checks and raids at the outskirts of the towns and cities which really helped parties to bribe the voters in the last minutes.

We would like to ask the Election Commission to enact a provision in the law ( A Criteria) to withdraw the non performing Elected Legislative Member/ Representative (MLA) by the electorate by conducting a public referendum and reelect a new representative once again.

Thank you,

Yours Truly,

M.Pushparayan.

Convener, CPF.