HC upholds CPI(M) candidate's election to Assembly

The Madras High Court today upheld the election of A Lazar, CPI(M) candidate from Periyakulam Assembly constituency in the 2011 polls in Tamil Nadu.
Rejecting a petition filed by M Ganapathy, who contested as BJP candidate, Justice T Mathivanan in his order said, Ganapathy has "not chosen to file an affidavit in support of his allegation of corrupt practice made against Lazar".
Ganapathy had alleged that Lazar declared himself as Christian when he contested against DMK's M K Alagiri in parliamentary election from Madurai in 2009.
But in the 2011 Assembly election, Lazar declared that he belonged to Scheduled Caste community which amounts to "false declaration and "corrupt poll practice", he had contented.

Denying the allegation, Lazar had said he was born to parents of SC community belonging to Hindu religion and never converted to or professed any other religion.
R Vaigai, counsel for Lazar, had submitted that nothing had been mentioned in the petition to show that Lazar had professed Christianity on the date of his nomination. The allegations were vague, he said.
Justice Mathivanan dismissed the petition and upheld the election of Lazar.