CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Tuesday asked a petitioner what law prevents political parties from entering into pre-poll alliances.
The question was raised by the first bench comprising Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan when a petition filed by R Viswanathan alias MGR Viswanathan came up for hearing. The petitioner had sought directions to bar political parties from forging pre-poll alliances. When the petitioner began arguing his case in Tamil, the bench asked him to either present his arguments in English or engage a counsel, noting that the matter was being heard by the first bench of the court. As the petitioner agreed to engage a counsel, the bench adjourned the hearing by a week.
Viswanathan, the founder of MGR Makkal Katchi, contended in his petition that pre-poll alliances lack principled policies and are merely “alliances of convenience” that undermine a stable democracy. He argued that such alliances are often fragile, with parties switching sides and treating the electoral mandate as secondary to their political interests. “This type of alliance results in infighting and can lead to the fall of governments,” he said, citing the collapse of the Janata Party government at the centre. He further suggested that the party securing the highest number of seats should be allowed to form the government instead of alliances.