The countdown for the MIC elections have begun and so too, the fate of party candidates who indulge in caste and money politics hangs in the balance as the deadline for the two-day party AGM approaches this Saturday.

NONE Party chief S Samy Vellu (left) is now getting feedback from his supporters on candidates alleged to be indulging in unethical practices and says disciplinary action will be taken against them once the party elections are over.

"Aspiring party candidates who are under the illusion that their money and caste politics are not under the radar and scrutiny of Datuk Seri will be shocked to discover that they will face the music from the party disciplinary committee after Sept 13," a close aide of the president told Malaysiakini today.

"Such unhealthy activities are only seen as shot-gun weddings which neither benefits the candidates nor the party in the long run.

Such candidates will fade from the minds of party members who prefer sincere people who can contribute to the positive development of the party and uplift the social status of the Indian community, " he said

The aide also said that a few party candidates do not have the will to go on their own political steam in the party elections and have resorted to such unethical means but they have been identified.

"At the end of the day, the boss will have his way (of having his team in the party ) while such candidates( who indulge in unhealthy practices) will loose out as they will not be able to win the seats that they dream of," he said.

According to the aide, a recent survey of the party's 1,464 delegates nationwide has shown that about 1,000 are support the president's men.

Delegate-wise Selangor tops the list with 376, followed by Perak(240), Johor (197), Negeri Sembilan (140), Kedah (116), Federal Territory (85), Pahang (70), Penang (62), Malacca (43), Perlis(six), Kelantan and Sabah (four each) and Terengganu(two).

Also, the block voting system of the party delegates will be a plus-point for the president's team, the aide stressed.

Where's the change bro?

Block voting means that each of the division leaders will direct his delegates to vote en-bloc for a particular candidate that he chooses and according to party sources, the majority of the division leaders are in Samy's camp.

While media hype has been given to the three-cornered contest for deputy president's post held by incumbent G Palanivel, and his two challengers former deputy president S Subramaniam and incumbent vice-president S Sothinathan.

NONE At the end of the day, Palanivel (right) may be the choice of the majority of party delegates but the margin of the win may be narrower as the votes are split three-ways.

Many party delegates are questioning what Subramaniam has done for the development of the party during his 25 years as deputy and they feel it is time for him to make way for other leaders.

"What changes are Subra and Sothi talking about?" asked a party delegate.

"They should have done the changes when they were in office and not give mere lip service when they face party elections," he said.

NONE "What are the changes that Subra brought to the party when he was in office for the past 25 years? " he asked.

"Anyway, Subra ‘s team list names include the same 12 candidates for the Central Working Committee (CWC) posts that Datuk Seri has endorsed. This means Subra is trying to play safe and hoping for a win," he said.

There is also the possibility of action against Subramaniam (left) as Samy threatens to take disciplinary action against him for allegedly tarnishing the party's image over the ‘stolen votes' issue.

The party CWC has decided to issue a show-cause letter to Subramaniam, asking him to explain his statement to a newspaper that implied the party condoned vote-rigging.

Samy also said that action will be also taken against V Govindaraj and the newspaper for their baseless allegations.

Smooth sailing for Dr Subra?

Govindaraj had claimed that he ‘pocketed' 30 votes meant for Subramaniam in the contest against against Samy Vellu for the deputy president's post in 1977.

The delegate also brushed off Sothi as a green-horn who lacks the experience to take the deputy seat.

The party‘s three vice-president posts are facing a seven-cornered contest with Samy's team of Human Resources Minister and party secretary-general Dr S Subramaniam, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and party treasurer-general S K Devamany and Deputy Federal Territories Minister and party information chief M Saravanan.

The other four challengers for the three vice president posts are Johor state treasurer and Johor Baru division chairman S Balakrishnan , former Federal Territory MIC chief V K K Teagarajan, former Selangor MIC Youth Chief S Subramaniam and the sole woman candidate Jelebu division leader P Mariayee.

dr s subramaniam interview 210308 04 There has been media speculation that Dr S Subramanaim (left) will smooth-sail through the vice-presidents post, there might be an upset with either Devamany or Saravanan ending as casualty with Balakrishnan getting one of the two remaining vice-president posts.

When contacted, Balakrishnan told Malaysiakini: "My prospects of getting the vice-president's seat are very bright as I am having the backing of hard-core supporters of the party."

When asked about speculation that he might be pulled up by the party disciplinary committee for alleged money politics, he dismissed it as mere rumours to tarnish his name and to end his political carrier.

"I have not given a single cent to anybody in the party during my campaigning and my grass root support from the delegates is very good. So why is there the need to indulge in such practices?" he asked.