Chennai, Oct 7: Dharapuram by-election candidate and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader P Sathyabama has denied a viral video purportedly showing her claiming that she had spent Rs 31 crore during the previous Assembly election, alleging that the video was fabricated using artificial intelligence and circulated with political motives.
The video went viral on social media ahead of polling in the Dharapuram Assembly constituency, triggering a political controversy. Sathyabama, who was the AIADMK MLA from Dharapuram in the Assembly election held earlier this year, said she had not made the statements attributed to her in the video.
Responding to questions on the video, Sathyabama said that she had not spoken in the manner shown in the clip and alleged that the entire video had been fabricated. She said she did not know who had circulated it and alleged that it was being spread because she had a strong chance of winning the by-election.
Sathyabama further said that her team had identified those responsible for circulating the video and that she would lodge a complaint with the Election Commission seeking action against them. She also expressed confidence that the controversy would not influence voters, saying that people had already made their choice.
The TVK candidate went on to claim that she would win the Dharapuram constituency by a margin of one lakh votes.
The Opposition DMK, however, sought an inquiry into the video and urged the Election Commission to examine whether the amount allegedly mentioned in the clip had any bearing on Sathyabama’s election expenditure.
DMK MLA S Austin urged the Election Commission to conduct a detailed inquiry into the matter. He said the election authorities should verify the expenditure account submitted by Sathyabama and ascertain whether she had adhered to the statutory limit.
Austin also demanded action under the Representation of the People Act if it was established that the candidate had either failed to submit the required expenditure statement or exceeded the permissible limit.
The DMK legislator said a formal complaint had already been lodged with election officials. He argued that the contents of the video needed to be examined by the authorities irrespective of Sathyabama’s denial, particularly since the clip had become widely circulated on social media.
The controversy comes against the backdrop of the political circumstances that led to the Dharapuram by-election. Sathyabama had won the constituency as an AIADMK candidate in the Assembly election. She subsequently resigned as MLA, quit the AIADMK and joined the TVK, resulting in the vacancy.
She is now contesting the by-election as the TVK candidate, making the election an important test of her political standing as well as the ruling party’s support in the constituency.
The Election Commission’s examination of the complaint is expected to determine whether the video has any evidentiary value and whether any violation of election expenditure rules has taken place. For now, Sathyabama has categorically maintained that the video is fabricated and politically motivated.