PUDUCHERRY: The DMK has urged the Election Commission to provide equal opportunities to all political parties contesting the elections to come to power in the UT by addressing the issue of nominated MLAs.
In a statement, DMK South convenor and leader of the DMK legislature party R Siva said that elections in a democracy must be equal for all and so far the elections in Puducherry have provided this opportunity. But this time the equal opportunity has been snatched away. That is because the Supreme Court has ruled that the central government has the power to appoint nominated MLAs in the Puducherry Assembly and that the nominated MLAs so appointed have the power to vote in the Assembly. This has given the ruling party at the Centre the opportunity to appoint three nominated MLAs without contesting the elections which could upset the election mandate, said Siva.
Thus, if the ruling party at the Centre and its allies win 14 seats in the Puducherry assembly election, they will have the right to form a government with the assistance of three nominated MLAs in the 33-member Legislative Assembly comprising 30 elected and three nominated members. At the same time, a situation has been created where the other parties can form a government only if they win 17 seats. This has created a sense of dissatisfaction that everyone is not equal.
The Election Commission of India, which has been defending democracy in the country, has an obligation to conduct the Puducherry Assembly elections equally, said Siva. "Therefore the direct appointment of nominated MLAs in Puducherry Assembly by the Centre should be banned or a provision that nominated MLAs do not have the right to vote be brought in, or else two of the nominated MLAs should be appointed by the Government of Puducherry and one by the central government," said Siva.
Only by doing any of these can the Pondicherry Assembly elections be equal for all parties and democracy be preserved, he said. Otherwise the assembly elections in Puducherry will not be equal for all. Therefore, the Election Commission should take appropriate action in this regard and make the 2021 Assembly elections equal for all, he said.