‘Reformist’ Lok Paritran party splits

City News - deccan chronicle: "ok Paritran, a party launched by some IITians and other educated youth vowing to usher in a clean administration, has split with four of its seven candidates, who contested in the recent elections, quitting the outfit. The faction accused the “national leadership” with financial bungling and lack of transparency.

“We left Lok Paritran on Sunday in disgust after witnessing the favouritism shown to the Mylapore candidate Santhanagopalan, who was given all the financial support and workforce for the campaign. We got nothing by way of support. On the other hand, we were abused, humiliated and even threatened by our national leadership,” said K. Rajamany, the Anna Nagar candidate and an engineering consultant.

He alleged that he was first appointed treasurer of the party but was sacked when he asked for accounts. Though he got 11,665 votes, the party leadership chose to project Santhanagopalan as the star candidate despite his getting a mere 9,436 votes, he alleged. “The national president Tanmay Rajpurohit did not even thank the public who cast about 35,000 votes and there was not a single word of appreciation for the candidates,” said the second rebel member Mr. Elanthirumaran, who had unsuccessfully contested against DMK president M. Karunanidhi in Chepauk.

“In fact, the party president and state general secretary had said that Mr. Santhanagopalan would get huge public sympathy and win in Mylapore if I got beaten up contesting in the politically sensitive Chepauk,” he claimed.

He alleged that Mr. Rajpurohit had appointed him as the state president but Mr. Santhanagopalan later declared before the media that he held the post. To top it all, the national president “surprised all by simultaneously appointing Arvind Seshagiri as state president,” said the software professional. He said in the absence of any support from the party leadership, he was “forced to risk my life campaigning with just four friends in the tough Chepauk constituency.”

Mr. Ishrayel Maheshwar, the Thousand Lights candidate, alleged that Mr. Rajpurohit yelled at him and sacked him from the party just because he wanted to express his views about the party’s performance in the elections. He claimed that about half of the 700-odd members of Lok Paritran would quit and join the rebel group."