SALEM: A clash broke out inside booth number 139 at Arisipalayam in Salem during polling on Thursday, involving booth-level agents of the AIADMK and DMK. The incident occurred when M. Kandasamy of AIADMK and C. Senthil of DMK was speaking inside the polling station. According to eyewitnesses, Senthil was allegedly canvassing for the DMK when a misunderstanding triggered the confrontation. A woman voter, S. Loganayaki from the 27th ward, reportedly mistook their conversation as being directed at her. Enraged, she began shouting at Kandasamy and, in the ensuing altercation, slapped him. Kandasamy retaliated, leading to a scuffle inside the booth. Loganayaki’s son, Vigneswaran, and her sister, M. Renuka, then joined in and allegedly attacked Kandasamy. “In this attack, I sustained injuries and my shirt was torn,” Kandasamy said. Loganayaki, however, claimed that Kandasamy had verbally abused and attacked her first. “I suffered multiple injuries, including a nosebleed,” she said, alleging that M. Yuvaraj, the AIADMK ward secretary, was behind the incident. Yuvaraj denied the allegation, stating that Loganayaki, who had recently joined the DMK after leaving the AIADMK, had deliberately created tension inside the booth to tarnish his party’s image. Police from Pallapatty station rushed to the spot and initiated an inquiry. Election officials are expected to submit a report on the disturbance later in the day.
