CHENNAI: Chief
election commissioner O P Rawat skipped announcing byelection dates for Tiruvarur and Tirupparankundram on Saturday as Tamil Nadu chief secretary Girija Vaidyanathan has written a letter to the
Election Commission stating that it would not be possible to hold byelections during the north-east monsoon.
Also, a case is pending in the Madras high court against holding the Tirupparankundram byelection, Vaidyanathan sought to remind the commission.
Opposition parties have lashed out at the state government for scuttling the byelection. They said the government was scared of facing polls.
“Just when I was about to leave home, I received a letter from a state chief secretary asking us not to announce the byelection dates. The reasons mentioned in the letter was the cyclone and rainy season as well as a case pending in the court,” Rawat said in Delhi, referring to Tamil Nadu.
The letter mentions the IMD forecast of surplus rainfall this year during the monsoon. Since Tiruvarur is a delta district, it is likely to receive heavy rain, the letter said. As regards Tirupparankundram, the letter points to the case pending in the HC. “At this juncture, notifying a byelection may be perceived to be an attempt to overreach the powers of the high court, and therefore it would not be advisable, till the matter is settled by the high court,” said the letter.
Along with the dates for assembly elections in 5 states, the EC also announced dates for byelections to assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies in Karnataka.
Tamil Nadu’s argument does not carry much weight as in the past, Tamil Nadu has had byelections between October and December, the normal monsoon season.
In 2016, the constituencies Thanjavur, Aravakurichi and Tirupparankundram faced byelections on November 19. On December 24, 2017, T T V Dhinakaran won the RK Nagar byelection.
“Postponing of the byelection in the name of monsoon shows that the EC is not independent and the ruling AIADMK is afraid of facing the people,” said CPI state secretary R Mutharasan.
It is surprising that the EC announcement comes a day after the chief minister called on the governor, said Mutharasan.
“The reasons cited by the EC cannot be accepted. Already, the local body elections are delayed and now the EC is not ready to hold byelection too. We condemn this and want the byelections to be held immediately,” said CPM state secretary K Balakrishnan.
Tamil Nadu chief secretary said not be possible to hold byelections during the north-east monsoon.
