Tamil Nadu Bypoll TVK's P Sathyabama Faces ECI Complaint Over Viral Video Claiming ₹31 Crore Election Spend
Chennai: As voters in Dharapuram and Madurantakam, both reserved Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu, headed to the polling booths on Tuesday for exercising their franchise in bypolls, P Sathyabama, the TVK candidate from Dharapuram, was mired in controversy after a video clip showed her making a claim that she had spent ₹31 crore for the elections. From the conversation – though Sathyabama…
As Tamil Nadu voters cast their ballots in the bypolls held on Tuesday for Dharapuram and Madurantakam Assembly constituencies, P Sathyabama, the candidate representing the Tamil Vaishnav Congress (TVK) in Dharapuram, found herself embroiled in controversy. A viral video clip surfaced, featuring Sathyabama stating that she had spent ₹31 crore in election expenses during the general elections she had previously won from the same constituency on an AIADMK ticket.
The woman in the video reportedly exclaimed, “Edappadi (Palaniswami, AIADMK general secretary) did not give a single paise,” while claiming to have spent the massive amount during the general elections.
However, Sathyabama herself denied being the person heard in the viral video. In the audio, she is heard using a derogatory term to express her dissatisfaction with her switch to the ruling TVK party following her resignation from the Assembly membership within a month of the general election. She also made claims of spending heavily on the hospitality expenses of ministers and other campaign stakeholders.
In response to the video, DMK MLA S Austin filed a complaint with the Election Commission of India (ECI), accusing Sathyabama of failing to disclose election campaign expenditure and violating the Model Code of Conduct. Austin’s complaint, submitted to Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik, alleged that in the video, Sathyabama had mentioned spending approximately ₹14 lakh on logistics, including hotel accommodation for dignitaries, flight tickets for alliance representatives, and setting amounts related to election coordination and resorts.
Austin urged the ECI to initiate an immediate inquiry, directing the Expenditure Monitoring Cell, the District Election Officer, and the Returning Officer of the Dharapuram Assembly segment to verify the daily expenditure registers filed by Sathyabama. If the alleged ₹14 lakh expenditure was not submitted to the election authorities, Austin demanded action against her under the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for filing "fake expenditure statements."
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