Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Working President MK Stalin on Sunday wrote to the Election Commission, requesting it to disqualify All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader E Madhusudhanan from the RK Nagar bye-election in Chennai for buying voters, reported ANI. The seat fell vacant after its MLA, former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, died in December 2016.

Stalin alleged that the AIADMK distributed more than Rs 100 crore to voters. The DMK leader asked the poll panel to also take action against “erring officials” in order to ensure a free and fair election.

On Saturday, the police had seized at least Rs 25 lakh in cash from more than 15 places in the constituency, The Hindu quoted unidentified officials as saying. The workers of a party were arrested and unauthorised vehicles were reportedly seized.

DMK leaders also claimed that they had caught an AIADMK worker in the Thandaiyar Nagar neighbourhood, who was allegedly going door to door and paying each household Rs 6,000.

TTV Dinakaran, the leader of a rebel AIADMK faction, and his supporters staged a protest after the police arrested one of his supporters for allegedly distributing money.

Madhusudhanan, the ruling party’s presidium chairperson, was nominated as the AIADMK’s candidate for the election in April. However, the poll panel had then cancelled the bye-poll after allegations of parties bribing the electorate for votes. The rebel faction of the AIADMK has fielded TTV Dinakaran as its candidate.