Vijay’s election affidavits show conflicting details on FIRs, accounts

Discrepancies in actor Vijay’s election affidavits for Perambur and Tiruchirappalli East have revealed conflicting details on pending FIRs and bank accounts, potentially inviting legal scrutiny under the Representation of the People Act ahead of the Assembly elections

Chennai: Discrepancies have surfaced in two separate election affidavits submitted by actor and TVK founder Vijay, potentially inviting legal and political scrutiny ahead of the Assembly elections.

The contrasting documents, prepared for the Perambur and Tiruchirappalli East constituencies, reveal contradictory declarations regarding his pending criminal cases and designated election bank accounts.

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The affidavit prepared for the Perambur Assembly constituency, which was notarised in Chennai on March 30, explicitly states that the political leader has no pending criminal cases against him. Conversely, a subsequent affidavit drafted for the Tiruchirappalli East constituency, notarised three days later in Tiruchirappalli, declares two pending First Information Reports (FIRs).

According to the Tiruchirappalli document, the disclosed cases include an FIR registered at the Koodakovil police station in Madurai district and another at the Peravallur police station in Chennai. The latter involves allegations of public nuisance and injuries caused by bouncers during a recent campaign event.

In addition to the criminal record discrepancy, the financial declarations related to election expenditure also differ.

The Perambur document lists a single bank account opened for election expenses at the Indian Overseas Bank, Saligramam branch, containing a deposit of Rs 1 lakh. The Tiruchirappalli affidavit, however, lists two separate accounts, retaining the Saligramam account for Perambur and adding another account at the Indian Overseas Bank, Tiruchirappalli Main branch, with a balance of Rs 90,000.

Legal experts suggest that the suppression or misrepresentation of facts in a sworn election affidavit is a serious violation under the Representation of the People Act, 1951. Under Section 125A of the Act, failing to furnish information, concealing details, or providing false information can attract a penalty of imprisonment for up to six months, a fine, or both. In this case, rival candidates could raise immediate objections based on the concealment of the FIRs in the Perambur document, experts add.

There was no immediate response from TVK on the matter.