TVK candidate demands recounting

Pudukottai: TVK's Thirumayam candidate C Sinthamani has petitioned the district administration seeking recount of votes in the constituency. Sinthamani lost to DMK candidate and former minister S Regupathy by 1,492 votes. During the counting process, DMK, AIADMK and TVK candidates alternately held the lead across various rounds. Sinthamani told reporters that a sudden surge in votes in the final stages of counting had raised ‘serious suspicions.' At the end of the counting process, she had appealed to the returning officer for recount of votes, but it wasn't entertained, and the victory certificate was issued to Regupathy. "At the end of counting, officials asked us to submit a written complaint, and we did so mentioning the booths where we had suspicions. However, they later said we had not raised objections during the counting process itself and therefore our complaint could not be considered. As the next step, I have come to submit a petition to the district collector," she said on Wednesday. The TVK candidate added that the request is for a recount in 18 booths. As the collector was unavailable, the petition was handed over to the personal assistant (elections).