MIC VP results withheld

The party has decided to withhold results of its vice-president election following requests by candidates for numerous recount.

MALACCA: MIC has decided to withhold results of the party’s vice president election following request from candidates for numerous recount.

Party president G Palanivel, who is also the MIC election committee head, a few minutes ago announced that the vice president results would only be announced tomorrow morning.

Sources reveal that while former MIC vice-president S Sothinathan and incumbent vice president M Saravanan had clinched the top two spots for the three vice president seats, the third position is being fought closely between party treasurer general Jaspal Singh and Johor Baharu division chief KS Balakrishnan.

Earlier sources confirmed that Sothinathan, Saravanan and Jaspal had made the cut for the three man vice president positions, which was up for grabs at the party’s 67th annual general assembly here today.

Others in the race were  incumbent vice president SK Devamany, former MIC Youth chiefs T Mohan and SA Vigneswaran and Bukit Bintang division deputy chief James Selvarajah

A total 1,452 delegates voted in the polls to pick three vice-presidents and 23 central working committee members. There were eight candidates vying for the three veep positions, while 88 aspirants fought it out for the 23 CWC seats.

The party however announced the list of 23 CWC members who have been picked to sit in the MIC’s highest decision making body for the next three years.

The election results point towards Palanivel stregthening his grip on the party after most of “his men” were elected to national positions.

Sothinathan, if crowned vice president tomorrow, will receive a lifeline of his political career.

Earlier unofficial results from the Equatorial Hotel, when the election was held, was that Sothinathan had polled 686 votes followed by Saravanan (678), Jaspal (643), Balakrishnan (641), Vigneswaran (555), Mohan (325), Devamany (325) and Selvarajah (48).

Sothinathan had been in political wilderness after losing the Teluk Kemang parliamentary seat at the 2008 general election. He contested the party deputy presidency in 2009 but lost to current president G Palanivel.

He was not given a seat to contest at the 13th general election in May this year.

It must be noted that Sothinathan and Jaspal, who is a senator, were in president’s list of preferred candidates in the run up to the elections.

Below are the list of 23 CWC members for the term 2013/2016;

1. R Ragu Moorthy

2. Randhir Singh

3. P.Palaniappan (Palanivel’s political secretary)

4. P Kamalanathan (Deputy Education Minister)

5. J Dinagaran

6. S Kumar Amman

7. K Ramalingam

8. M S Mahadevan (Melaka state chief)

9. A Prakash Rao

10. K Partiban (former Ijok state assemblyman)

11. S Sunther (son of former deputy president S Subramaniam)

12. S Murugesan (former secretary general)

13. S Asojan

14. V.S.Mogan

15. A Saktivel (secretary general)

16. R Vidyananthan – 641

17. V Elango – 652

18. P Subramaniam – 571

19. R Goonasekaran – 615

20.A Ganesan – 553

21. Henry Benedict – 545

22. M L Maran – 544

23. K P Samy – 544

Note: ML Maran, KP Samy and S Ananthan (who came in 24th) obtained the same number of votes but after a draw ML Maran and KP Samy made the cut.

Noted top guns voted out are;

1. M Muniandy — Selangor and Wilayah Persekutuan news vendors association president

2. R Ganesan — Perak head

3. N Rawisendran – Serdang division chairman

4. M Davendran – former Pahang head

5. N Manickam — Negeri Sembilan head and state exco

6. V Jothi — Sabah head

7. T Rajagopalu — former Negeri Sembilan head