DMK urges EC to hold by-polls for 21 seats in TN along with LS polls

A delegation headed by Rajya Sabha MP and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader Kanimozhi visited the Election Commission (EC) office here on Friday, urging the top electoral body to hold by-polls for 21 vacant assembly seats in Tamil Nadu simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections, slated to be held between April-May.

The delegation submitted a letter to the EC on the same, stating that it would save time for the voters and save public exchequer.

"(DMK chief MK) Stalin had asked us to meet the EC and give a representation to them. We submitted a letter stating that by-polls for 21 seats in Tamil Nadu should be held along with the parliamentary elections," Kanimozhi told ANI.

Out of the 21 seats, 18 of them had fallen vacant after the disqualification of the AIADMK (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) MLAs who had pledged support to TTV Dhinakaran by Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker Dhanapal. Subsequently, the Madras High Court upheld the validity of the Speaker's order last year.

The disqualified MLAs were -- S Thangatamilselvan (Andipatti), R Murugan (Harur), S Mariappan Kennedy (Manamadurai), K Kadirkamu (Periyakulam), Jayanthi Padmanabhan (Gudiyattam), P Palaniappan (Pappireddypatti), V Senthil Balaji (Aravakurichi), S Muthiah (Paramakudi), P Vetrivel (Perambur), NG Pathiban (Sholingur), M Kodandapani (Tiruporur), TA Elumalai (Poonamallee), M Rengasamy (Thanjavur), R Thangadurai (Nilakottai), R Balasubramani (Ambur), SG Subramanian (Sattur), R Sundaraj (Ottapidaram) and Uma Maheswari (Vilathikulam).

Two seats fell vacant following the demises of former chief minister M Karunanidhi (DMK-Tiruvarur) and A K Bose (DMK-Tiruparankundram) last year.

State minister P Balakrishna Reddy, who was the sitting MLA from Hosur, was sentenced to three years of imprisonment in a criminal case on January 7.