A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Madras High Court seeking a stay on the by-elections announced for the Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly constituencies.
The petition points to a chain of resignations after the Assembly election held in April. MLAs elected from Madurantakam, Dharapuram, Ambasamudram, Perundurai, Karur and Viralimalai—who had won on the AIADMK ticket—resigned their posts and later joined the TVK. With these resignations, along with the Trichy East seat, seven constituencies have become vacant.
The High Court had earlier stayed the announcement of by-elections in Ambasamudram, Perundurai, Karur, Viralimalai and Trichy East, citing pending election petitions. Following that order, the Election Commission announced by-polls only for Madurantakam and Dharapuram.
The PIL, filed by advocate Sudhan from Saidapet, Chennai, argues that resignations for political reasons force the public exchequer to bear the cost of fresh elections. The petitioner has sought a framework to fix responsibility for election expenses, and also urged that the possibility of a law be examined to bar such resigning legislators from contesting elections for a specified period. Pending disposal of the case, the petition seeks a stay on the by-polls in the two constituencies.
