We are saying the law must be followed if it leads postponement or stay of elections, so be it: SC Bench
R ARIVANANTHAM
CHENNAI, DECEMBER 5
The Tamil Nadu unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has formed a 14- member committee to face the forthcoming local body election.
A release from the party said here on Thursday that the committee will be headed by the former Union Minister of State for Finance Pon Radhakrishnan.
Party’s senior leaders Rajya Sabha MP Ela Ganesan, H. Raja, former MP C.P. Radhakrishnan, Vanathi Srinivasan , Narendiran among others were included in the committee.
Ever since the former State President Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan was appointed as Governor of Telangana, the party is headless in Tamil Nadu.
It would be interesting to see whether the part will face local body election along with its ally AIADMK or go it alone, as already, Pon Radhakrishnan had hinted that the BJP may face election independently.
SC reserves order on DMK plea
The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its order on a plea seeking a direction to the EC for completing formalities required to carry out delimitation to pave way for local body polls in nine districts of Tamil Nadu.
A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sharad Arvind Bobde, reserved the order on the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham petition (DMK) after the Tamil Nadu State Election Commission told the apex court that it is ready to hold local body polls, except in nine districts.
The court told the state Advocate General (AG) to take instructions from the state government whether the polls, scheduled this month, could be postponed in nine districts, pending delimitation.
“Time of elections itself is not a negation of democracy. We are saying the law must be followed if it leads postponement or stay of elections, so be it,” the court said.
The DMK told the court that no delimitation took place in nine districts of Tamil Nadu that are going for to polls.
MK Stalin-led party, in its petition, stated that the necessary formalities for delimitation have yet not been undertaken in Tamil Madu for conducting the local bodies polls.
Senior lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi appeared before the bench on behalf of the DMK.
HC issues notice to EC on plea against registering AMMK
The Madras High Court on Thursday issued notice to the Election Commission on a petition by former supporter of AMMK leader TTV Dinakaran seeking to restrain the poll body from registering the party without hearing him.
Justice C V Karthikeyan issued notice to the EC and posted the matter to Monday for further hearing.
V Pugazhendi, who has recently said he would join the the ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu, submitted that Dinakaran has filed an application before the EC for the registration of the AMMK as per the statutory norms laid down under section 29-A of the Representation of Peoples Act.
He contended that Dinakaran has proclaimed himself as the general secretary of the party proposed to be registered and nominated the office-bearers as per his own choice without convening the general body meeting.
No membership application form or card had been filled by any of the cadre and he had been raising objections to the manner in which the party was being run, the petitioner submitted.
Dinakaran has also not framed the constitution of the proposed party in a proper manner, he claimed and contended that any process of granting registration to the AMMK without hearing and affording an opportunity to him would cause undue hardship and irreparable loss to the public.
