The resignation of P Balakrishna Reddy from the council of ministers, following his conviction in a 20-year-old rioting case, has now left the ruling party with a wafer-thin majority in the 234-member Assembly.
Chennai:
The Hosur assembly constituency represented by Balakrishna Reddy, who is known for his loyalty towards the ousted AIADMK general secretary V K Sasikala, will now have to be announced vacant through a notification issued by the Assembly Secretary, and the same will be forwarded to the Chief Electoral Officer (Tamil Nadu) urging him to hold an election to fill the vacancy.
As per the provisions of the Representation of Peoples Act (1951), any MLA or MP, if convicted for more than two years, stands disqualified with immediate effect and cannot contest in any election for the next three years.
According to sources, the news of Reddy’s conviction has rattled the AIADMK with several party MLAs expressing concern over the development. The ruling party is understood to enjoy the support of 111 MLAs in the House, which will soon have 21 vacant seats.
Although the simple majority mark after the vacancies has been reduced to 107, sources said there are a few fence sitters in the AIADMK camp, a matter of concern for the party leadership. The rebel AMMK has four MLAs, while the DMK and its allies account for 98 seats.
“With Reddy disqualified, Hosur will be the 21st vacant constituency in the State. As of now, there is no communication from the Assembly Secretary. Usually, it takes about two weeks’ time to notify the vacancy. In this case, the secretary will take a call after going through the complete judgement copy,” a senior Election Department official told DT Next.
Besides the 18 constituencies held by the disqualified MLAs, Tiruvarur and Tirupparankundram are also awaiting polls, the official said, adding that there is a possibility of conducting polls to the vacant seats along with ensuing Lok Sabha elections.
With legal experts warning that any delay in his resigning will bring embarrassment to the ruling party and may invite court proceedings, the AIADMK leadership took the decision to drop the Sports Minister.
Again, when the discussion related to the allocation of Reddy’s portfolio made rounds among the rank and file of the AIADMK, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami chose party senior K A Sengottaiyan, thus preventing any infight among the AIADMK ministers, informed sources said.
Meanwhile, AIADMK whip S Rajendran met Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal on Tuesday and discussed the process related to the disqualification of the minister.