Tamil Nadu : A contempt case has been filed in the Delhi High Court against the Chief Election Commission over the issue of two-leaf election symbol. The case has been filed by AIADMK leader V. Pugazhendi in view of the upcoming Rajya Sabha election for vacant seats in Tamil Nadu. V. Pugazhendi, who described himself as a member of the AIADMK Coordination Committee, in his petition to the Election Commission last month said, ‘The term of 6 Rajya Sabha members from Tamil Nadu has been declared over. In view of this, not only Edappadi Palaniswami but the leader of any faction does not have the right to sign the AA and PP forms (for approving candidates on behalf of the party) for the Rajya Sabha election on behalf of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. The reason is that the Supreme Court had ordered that the allocation of two-leaf election symbol as an interim arrangement in the case filed in 2022, as per the judgment given on 03.2.2023, is applicable only for the by-election process of Erode East Assembly constituency. Not beyond that.
Therefore, Pugazhendi had said in the petition that the Election Commission of India should issue necessary directions to the Chief Electoral Officer of Tamil Nadu not to accept the AA and PP forms signed by Edappadi K. Palaniswami as AIADMK General Secretary for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.
In this situation, Advocate S. Manoj Selvaraj on behalf of V. Pukazhendi has filed a contempt of court case against the Election Commission of India in the Delhi High Court. It states that the Election Commission did not properly follow the order issued by the Delhi High Court on March 24 last year on the issue of two leaves election symbol. When the petitioner again approached the court in this regard, the High Court had issued an order on 17.12.2024. After that, even after the petitioner filed petitions in the Election Commission, no action was taken on his demands. This situation persists even after 14 months of the issuance of the High Court order.
