CHENNAI: As the current term of the DMK government is nearing its end, a key electoral promise of the DMK during the 2021 Assembly elections – revival of the State Legislative Council – remains unfulfilled.
DMK MP P Wilson told TNIE that the promise to revive the Legislative Council could not be fulfilled due to a pending case before the Supreme Court. Wilson, appearing in the case recently, conveyed to the apex court that the DMK government fully intended to revive the Council.
When M G Ramachandran was the chief minister, the Legislative Council was abolished on August 30, 1986. Since then, the DMK has made it an electoral promise in almost all manifestoes and has so far made three unsuccessful attempts during their 1989-91, 1996-2001, and 2006-11 regimes. In the last attempt made in 2010, the Bill relating to the revival of the Legislative Council was passed by both Houses of Parliament on May 5 and 6, 2010, respectively, and the President’s assent was notified in the Tamil Nadu government gazette on May 20, 2010.
Later, Congress functionaries M Bharathiar and Tindivanam K Ramamurthee moved the Madras High Court, contending that the Presidential Order delimiting constituencies for the revived Tamil Nadu Legislative Council was unconstitutional, as delimitation could be undertaken only under a parliamentary law, such as the Representation of the People Act.
They argued the order lacked legislative sanction and was therefore invalid. However, the high court dismissed their petitions, and they challenged this verdict before the Supreme Court, where the elections to the Legislative Council were stayed on February 21, 2011. Within a few months, the AIADMK government led by J Jayalalithaa assumed office, and the Legislative Council’s revival was repealed through a Bill. But the Bill was not passed by the Upper House.
While the AIADMK has been resolute in not reviving the Legislative Council following the stance of late leader M G Ramachandran, reviving the Council may have some benefits for the DMK ahead of the current Assembly elections. With their allies demanding more seats than in the 2021 Assembly elections, one effective way to satisfy them is to accommodate them in the Legislative Council.
During the 2021 Assembly elections, apart from the DMK, its ally the Congress – the BJP and the AMMK also promised to revive the Legislative Council. Although funds were allocated to prepare electoral rolls for the Legislative Council constituencies, due to legal issues, the Council’s revival could not become a reality.
During seat-sharing talks for the 2021 Assembly elections, VCK president Thol Thirumavalavan said the DMK had promised to accommodate VCK functionaries when the Legislative Council is revived. The same scenario may recur when the seat-sharing talks begin between the DMK and its allies soon. The DMK government may make an announcement in the interim budget for the year 2026-27, sources said.
Another electoral promise of the DMK made for the Assembly elections was to convene the State Assembly for 100 days per year, but this has not been fulfilled since 2021. However, the Business Advisory Committee’s decision on the duration of each session was cited as a reason for the Assembly’s shorter session.
On many occasions, the opposition has complained about the lack of time to thoroughly discuss requests for grants for various departments. Another promise to telecast live the entire proceedings of the State Assembly remains partially fulfilled, as question hour and portions of the proceedings alone have been telecast live since 2021, leading opposition parties to complain that their speeches are being ‘eclipsed’.