Reportedly in a huge setback to the DMK, the Election Commission had informed the Supreme Court that it was ready to hold by-polls in Aravakurichi, Ottapidaram and Tirupparankundram Assembly constituencies in Tamilnadu, within a reasonable period of time but not on April 18, when the State goes to the polls. Meanwhile counsel for the Election Commission told a Bench of Justices S.A. Bobde and Abdul Nazeer that the Commission would hold the bye-polls to three constituencies within a reasonable time, without specifying any time limit.
Furthermore this would mean that the Commission would not hold the polls within the present election schedule up to May 19. Previously senior counsel A.M. Singhvi and C.U. Singh, appearing for DMK Member of Parliament R.S. Bharathy submitted that the EC should be directed to hold the polls on the three seats, along with the scheduled dates of polls for Lok Sabha and other by-poll Assembly constituencies.
Accordingly the petitioner sought court intervention for holding the by-polls to the three constituencies, which were left out citing pending of cases in the Madras high court. He submitted that the EC had announced by-polls to 18 constituencies on April 18 along with the Lok Sabha polls. Moreover referring to the pending of cases in respect of the three constituencies, the DMK said, as on today, there is no legal impediment as the HC had disposed of the petitions relating to the three constituencies.
