AIADMK explains source of sops to EC, DMK buys time

Chennai: The Election Commission had given DMK and AIADMK time till 5pm on Sunday to submit replies to notices on how they intended to finance the freebies they announced in their manifestos. AIADMK submitted its reply but DMK asked the poll panel for more time to submit its reply.
"We received the reply from AIADMK well before 5pm and passed it on to the full Election Commission in New Delhi," a senior EC official said."But representatives of DMK met chief electoral officer Rajesh Lakhoni and sought more time to reply."
DMK sources told TOI that the party had prepared a reply to the notice but wants to submit the reply after the election.
"The reply is ready as we have mentioned only two freebies but our leaders are busy with the Monday's election. We will submit the reply a day after the polling," a senior DMK leader said.
Former IAS official M G Devasahayam, who first protested against the freebies in the parties' manifestos in a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi, said, "The deadline for the explanation expired today. According to the electronic media, the parties seem to have submitted the explanation via email. Since the ECI admits that it has 'prima facie found that the parties have not substantially fulfilled the guidelines of the commission on the manifestos' the election sheduled for [Monday] cannot proceed unless ECI is duly satisfied with the parties' explanations."
"Please let us know immediately whether the ECI is duly satisfied with the explanations and if the commission has issued a speaking order and the grounds thereof," Devasahayam said.