Sasikala’s elevation illegal: MPs tell Election Commission

February 16, 2017 01:18 pm | Updated February 17, 2017 03:16 am IST - New Delhi

A group of AIADMK MPs and party leaders belonging to the O. Panneerselvam faction come out of the Election Commission office after a meeting in New Delhi on Thursday.

A group of AIADMK MPs and party leaders belonging to the O. Panneerselvam faction come out of the Election Commission office after a meeting in New Delhi on Thursday.

Challenging the elevation of V.K. Sasikala as the interim general secretary, a delegation of AIADMK Members of Parliament on Thursday submitted before the Election Commission that her appointment was not in accordance with the party’s constitution and, therefore, it should not be approved.

The 12-member delegation, comprising eight Lok Sabha and two Rajya Sabha MPs, was led by V. Maitreyan.

Some other party members also accompanied them to the Election Commission’s headquarters.

The party leaders submitted a 42-page memorandum to Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi and other senior EC officials, urging that the Commission should decline the approval for Ms. Sasikala’s elevation as she was elected by the party’s general council, and not by the primary members.

As per the party’s constitution, the delegation said, the general council had powers to only frame policies and programmes, and not to elect the general secretary. The memorandum cited Clause 30 (V) of the constitution which said only a person who had been a primary member for at least five years was eligible.

The MPs said Ms. Sasikala was expelled from the party in December 2011 and brought back in March 2012. Therefore, she had not been a primary member for five continuous years. The leaders said as her appointment was not lawful, the decisions taken by her were also not maintainable.

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