Kamaraj Nagar assembly constituency set to have by-election

Kamaraj Nagar assembly constituency here is set to have a byelection as the incumbent legislator V Vaithilingam has quit post of MLA after electing to the lok sabha in the recently held general elections.

Vaithilingam, who contested successfully the April 18 Lok Sabha poll and defeated his AINRC rival K Narayanasamy, resigned from the post of MLA and presented Monday his letter of resignation to the newly elected Speaker V P Sivakolundhu.

Vaithilingam, a former Speaker of the assembly, was elected to the territorial Assembly in the 2016 polls for the second consecutive term.

His resignation as MLA has thus created the necessity for a byelection.

Union Territory of Puducherry has already had two by elections ever since the present government was formed in June 2016.

The first byelection was held in November 2016.

Chief Minister V Narayanasamy who became the head of the government in June 2016 without being a member of the House was returned to the House through a byelection in November that year.

The second byelection was held in April 18 this year to the Thattanchavady constituency as the sitting legislator belonging to AINRC Ashok Anand was disqualified as member of the assembly following his conviction in October last year in a disproportionate assets case.

Now, Kamaraj Nagar is set to have a byelection.

There was groundswell of protest from a section of ruling Congress party cadre after the chief minister's Parliamentary secretary K Lakshminarayanan was denied an opportunity to become the speaker.

Lakshminarayanan also distanced himself from the one- day session of the assembly Monday presumably to show his protest against his being denied a chance to become the speaker.

His supporters were up in arms as Lakshminarayanan was not being made the speaker.

Deputy speaker V P Sivakolundhu was elected Speaker unopposed and he assumed office Monday.