Plea in HC seeks holding of bypoll in RK Nagar

A petition has been filed in the Madras High Court seeking a direction to the Chief Election Commissioner to conduct by-election to RK Nagar Assembly constituency here, which is lying vacant following the demise of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa last year.
The by-election scheduled for April 12 in RK Nagar was cancelled by the Election Commission (EC) following allegations of distribution of cash to voters.
The public interest litigation was filed by one KK Ramesh of Madurai, who submitted that not conducting elections in the constituency was not good for democracy and the society.
He said that as per the Representation of People Act if any legislator died, by-election should be conducted within six months, whereas date of polls had not been announced for RK Nagar constituency so far.

The petitioner said he had made a representation on July three in this regard to the EC which had not evoked any response and hence he filed the present plea.
The petitioner alleged that two major parties in the state had indulged in bribing of voters in the Assembly elections held in May 2016 and said the EC which received several complaints from various constituencies cancelled the election to two constituencies (Aravakurichi and Thanjavur) only.
The by-election to RK Nagar constituency was necessitated following the death of Jayalalithaa on December 5, 2016.