In a shocking piece of news, an ADMK candidate has committed suicide days ahead of the Tamil Nadu Urban local body polls. The dreadful incident has sparked a fresh round of a political slugfest as amid mourning the loss, the party has blamed the state ruling DMK for its role in the death and the state election commission has deferred the election in that particular ward where the candidate was being fielded. 

According to reports, 36-year-old Janakiraman, who was the candidate of the ADMK from ward 36 of the Kanchipuram corporation, has committed suicide on Thursday - February 10, exactly ten days ahead of the local body polls. The police have suspected that he had committed suicide by strangulating himself. Ward 36 was facing an intense battle between Janakiraman and DMK candidate K Subburayan. 

On Wednesday, a day before Janakiraman has ended his life, ADMK leader Edappadi Palaniswami had campaigned in Kanchipuram and he had introduced his party candidates, including Janakiraman. The incident has drawn a huge protest from the ADMK as the cadres of the party had held a dharna in front of the Vishnu Kanchi police station on Thursday demanding justice for Janakiraman. 

The ADMK district secretary of Kanchipuram, Somasundaram had participated in the protests as the district was surfaced with tensions. While the police have said that Janakiraman had committed suicide due to depression or personal issues, ADMK leader Somasundaram had lodged a complaint with the DCP in which he had urged the police to check the complete history of Janakiraman. 

Speaking to a news agency, Kanchipuram DCP Julius Caesar has said that the incident had happened around 2.30 am on Thursday and a case has been registered under Section 174 of the CrPC. He said that the incident has happened inside Janakiraman's house and added that they suspect that the ADMK candidate could have ended his life due to depression or personal issues. The police have been conducting a further probe into his death. 

On the other hand, the ADMK leadership has issued a statement in which it has blamed DMK for Janakiraman's death. In a joint statement, Edappadi Palaniswami and Panneerselvam have said that Janakiraman has taken the extreme step due to life threats from DMK. The leaders have urged the state election commission and the police to take strict action against those responsible for his death. 

The party has claimed that the DMK has been indulging in intimidating the candidates of the opposition parties and their families and forcing them to withdraw from the polls. It has added that the police are acting in favour of the ruling party and the DMK has been engaging in such acts as the ruling party knew it will lose the polls. The reports say that police haven't found any suicide note and the reason for his suicide is yet to be revealed.