The Madras High Court today reserved orders on a PIL by a candidate contesting the June 27 bypoll in R K Nagar here, seeking to restrain actor Sarathkumar and two other MLAs from campaigning for ruling AIAMDK in the constituency from where Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa is eyeing re-election.
Sarath Kumar is President of All India Samathuva Makhal Katchi. The others are A Narayanan, an MLA of the same party, and Dr C K Thamizharasan of Indian Democratic Party.
Justice M Sathyanarayanan, before whom the arguments were submitted on behalf of Makkal Manadu Katchi candidate T Paulraj, reserved orders on the petition.
MMK, a registered but unrecognized political party, had moved the court, questioning the inclusion of Sarathkumar as a star campaigner for AIADMK in the bypoll.
The petitioner submitted that Election Commission bestows star campaigner status for a maximum of 40 persons under Section 77 of Representation of the People Act in case of recognized political parties. Registered but unrecognized parties are allowed to have 20 star campaigners. Campaign expenses of such persons are not included in the expenditure of contesting candidates.
In R K Nagar, AIADMK had given 40 star campaigners' names to EC and Sarathkumar and Narayanan were cited as star campaigners from other parties. Though they belong to another political party, they had contested as AIADMK candidates and were still part of ruling alliance, the petitioner said and sought removal of the star campaigner status of all three and their expenses to be added with that of Jayalalithaa.
The petitioner, a candidate in the bypoll, contended that as per Section77 of RPA, expenditure on account of campaigning of such leaders shall not be included in the expenditure of the candidate.
He submitted that the State Chief Election Officer has released a list of star campaigners for various parties, which include non-contesting parties. Though they belong to different political parties, they are AIADMK members as per the seats alloted to them in the assembly. So expenditure of these star campaigners should be added into the account of the candidate for whom they were campaigning, he added.
