Tamil Nadu elections: Vijay’s campaign in Pudukkottai, meeting in Trichy called off

PUDUKKOTTAI: TVK leader Vijay's campaign scheduled at Aranthangi in Pudukkottai district on Tuesday (Apr 14) has been called off along with a party meeting in Trichy on the same day.TVK had initially sought permission for a campaign in Aranthangi on April 10, but it was later rescheduled as it coincided with chief minister M K Stalin's visit to the district. Permission was granted for the TVK campaign near the Aranthangi checkpost between 3pm and 7pm on April 14. However, for reasons not yet known, the party has cancelled the programme. TVK had also sought permission for a meeting of functionaries with Vijay in Trichy on the same day. A senior city police official said permission was granted for the meeting at Morais city grounds. "They had requested permission for campaigning as well but no specific information about locations were given. We therefore forwarded our opinion to the election official and sought a revised request with more information about the campaign locations," the official said. Assistant returning officer (Trichy East) D Durai said, "The party has cancelled the functionary meeting and given it in writing." Earlier, Vijay's campaign scheduled in Thiruvallur district's Gummidipoondi on Monday was cancelled, as was his planned appearance in Cuddalore on Saturday. However, his campaign in Kanyakumari went ahead as scheduled on Sunday, with the TVK chief addressing the gathering — unlike in Karaikudi on Friday, where he arrived at the meeting spot after the permitted hours and left without speaking.