Puducherry

TVK has reported zero election spending in its first-ever electoral contest in Puducherry, as per the statement filed with Election Commission of India.

The party contested 28 of the 30 Assembly seats in the Union territory. It won two seats, came third with a 17.6% vote share, and lost its deposit in 15 seats. AINRC topped with 40.96%, followed by DMK at 32.89% and AIADMK at 22.05%.

Zero spending on every line item

Every single head shows 'nil' in the expenditure report. No money spent on general propaganda, travel, media ads, publicity material, public meetings, rallies or candidates. Even vehicles and social media campaigns recorded zero spending.

A party source said Vijay campaigned at three locations in Puducherry but those costs were not paid by the party headquarters. TVK contested alone in the Union territory. Treasurer Venkataramanan filed the statement on July 13.

Party records show an opening balance of Rs 3.02 crore and total receipts of Rs 7.02 crore during the election period. TVK reported spending Rs 19.87 crore in Tamil Nadu's elections, a sharp contrast to its Puducherry figure.

State-wise expenditure statements are a main part of clear reporting in Indian elections, and voters have every right to know where money flows during polls.

Election officials confirmed that the Model Code of Conduct for the upcoming Thattanchavady bypoll on October 6 applies only to that area. This follows standard Election Commission of India rules for by-elections.

The seat opened up after Chief Minister N. Rangasamy kept his Mangalam constituency seat. Political activity is busy. AINRC named Ashok Anand as their candidate. NMK plans to field E. Vinayagam again.

Important dates

Voters should note these steps in the election process:

• Nomination process starts on September 9.
• Voting takes place on October 6.
• Final vote count is scheduled for October 9.

Puducherry has not held local body elections for 14 years. This delay is a big problem. Former MP Dr M Ramadass recently filed a petition with the Madras High Court about this long wait. He stated that denying people the right to local governance goes against the Constitution.

Election delay details

Puducherry government officials claim they are working on a reservation framework. A one-man commission has finished its report. Still, the government asked the court for 2 years to finish everything. The bench pointed out that the State Election Commissioner role is empty, which makes holding these polls even harder.