AINRC Repeats Bid to Bring 3 Nominated MLAs to House
PUDUCHERRY: After the first unsuccessful attempt in July 2011, the ruling AINRC government here once again planned to appoint three nominated MLAs to Puducherry Legislative Assembly with Chief Minister N Rangasamy recommending the names of AINRC loyalists V Bhalan and NS Jayabal and State BJP president M Viswesvaran to Lieutenant Governor Ajay Kumar Singh.
Singh, who received the list from the Chief Minister on August 1 on his arrival here from Andaman and Nicober Islands, has forwarded it to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for its approval, sources said.
While Bhalan is the AINRC general secretary and chairman of Pondicherry Textile Corporation (PTC), a public sector undertaking, Jayabal is the chairman of the governing body of Pondicherry Engineering College , a society college under the government of Puducherry.
After the AINRC government came to power in May 2011, Rangasamy had recommended a three- member list for appointment as nominated MLAs in June 2011. But, the proposal was not approved by the the Ministry of Home Affairs under the Congress rule. Now after the change of guard at the Centre with the BJP government in power, the Rangasamy government has moved once again to appoint the nominated MLAs.
As per the provisions of the UT Act (Sub-section 3 of Section 3 of the Act), the Central government may nominate three persons to the Territorial Assembly. The powers to nominate persons rests with the Central government. Generally, the Central government nominates on the recommendations of the Territorial government. They enjoy equal rights as elected MLAs in terms of their tenure, salary, perks, rights and privileges.
However, there is ambiguity on their voting rights in the Legislative Assembly, except that they cannot vote in the Presidential elections.
So far, there have been no guidelines for selection of persons for appointment as nominated MLAs. It has become customary for the ruling party to appoint politicians of their choice as nominated MLAs to suit their own convenience regardless of their special background to merit selection.