CHENNAI: Having set the trend for use of money power during the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, DMK’s mid-level leaders are applying their craft to organizational elections. Though, in DMK , the top leadership is rarely challenged, democracy rules its bottom rungs — democracy in all its seedy manifestations. Candidates for even minor posts like union secretary and town secretary have been offering their voters – the party’s panchayat representatives — two-wheelers, costly mobile phones and even residential plots.

In villages, party members elect representatives for the panchayat level. These panchayat representatives elect union secretaries who in turn elect the district secretary. In DMK, the district secretary wields much power and practically controls the organization. To his or her work, victories and defeats are often attributed.

“The DMK might be going through one of its worst phases, but partymen are spending huge amounts to secure posts in the party,” said an election observer. “There have been reports of abduction of candidates as well," he told TOI. The party elections turned violent in Krishnagiri district with three cadres sustaining head injuries during the union election.

A candidate for union secretary, a former panchayat union chairman in Thiruvallur district, has gifted an iPhone 6 to swing voters. “There were three candidates in the fray for the union secretary post with 70 voters. While this woman gifted smart phones, her competitor has promised scooters for those who would vote for her in the secret ballot system,” a former MLA said.

The announcement for the 14th general elections in the DMK was made in the party organ ‘Murasoli’, a few days back. The first phase elections for union and town units at Kanyakumari, Ramanathapuram, Ariyalur, Perambalur, Tiruvannamalai Tuticorin, Sivaganga, Dindugal, Krishnagiri, Cuddalore and Kanchipuram districts were held on Thursday.

Eight districts will hold their polls on November 24. In most of the districts, at least half of the union and town level units have elected their representatives unopposed.

Between 30 and 100 panchayat representatives elect a union secretary according to the size of the union. “A person who is contesting for the secretary post in a larger union which has 100 voters is spending around Rs 25 lakh. The candidate has to take his supporters out for at least five days to ensure they don’t cross-vote,” a DMK district secretary in central Tamil Nadu said.

No date has been set for Coimbatore party polls. “But a DMK functionary who is eying the union secretary post has been promising residential plots for those who change their preference in his favour,” said a party youth wing leader in Coimbatore.

Affected groups have petitioned the party headquarters about foul play and violence. Senior leaders, however, expect to get more complaints during the district level elections. “A leader who is running educational institutions has been eying the district secretary post in Tiruvallur. He has been offering gold rings, two wheelers and smart phones. He has spent money for his supporters in the union and town elections and will encash his IOUs,” a former state minister said.

Defending the poll process, organizing secretary TKS Elangovan said DMK is the only party that holds elections in a democratic way. He said that the elections for the union and town units would be completed by the end of November. He said the high command has postponed elections in some places because of the allegations but denied voter inducements in the form of gifts.

Party sources said that the election for district units would be conducted in December. In the following month, state office bearers will be elected, though that is likely to be only a formality.

