TVK drops alliance leaders from star campaigners list: What changed ahead of bypolls?

Chennai: The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has withdrawn the names of several leaders from its alliance parties from its star campaigners list for the October 6 by-elections in Madurantakam and Dharapuram, following objections from Opposition parties.

The original list included VCK president Thol Thirumavalavan, MDMK general secretary Vaiko, Congress leader Manickam Tagore and IUML leader K M Khader Mohideen, among others. The names of several alliance leaders have now been removed from the list.

The development came after Opposition parties questioned whether leaders belonging to other political parties could be included in TVK's list of star campaigners.

The DMK had approached the Election Commission seeking cancellation of the original list. DMK organising secretary R S Bharathi argued that the inclusion of leaders from other parties was contrary to Section 77 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and also raised concerns over election expenditure.

Section 77 of the Representation of the People Act deals with the maintenance of election expenditure accounts by candidates and includes provisions relating to recognised star campaigners. Candidates are required to maintain a separate and correct account of their election expenditure under the section.

Election Commission rules also specify how expenditure is to be treated when a star campaigner of another political party or an alliance partner participates in a rally with a candidate. In such cases, certain expenses, including the campaigner's travel expenses to the constituency, may be included in the candidate's election expenditure account.

The issue raised by the Opposition is whether leaders belonging to other political parties can receive the status and expenditure-related treatment applicable to TVK's own star campaigners. The DMK has argued that they cannot.

However, there has been no finding cited from the Election Commission declaring TVK's original list illegal. The withdrawal of the names should therefore be seen as a development following the objections, rather than as confirmation that the Commission has accepted the Opposition's interpretation of the law.

The removal of the names also does not prevent alliance leaders from campaigning for TVK candidates. The separate issue is how such campaigning and the associated expenditure will be treated under election rules.

For the DMK, the controversy has provided an opportunity to scrutinise TVK's election arrangements and raise questions before the Election Commission.

For TVK, the immediate concern is the revised campaign arrangement and the participation of alliance leaders in the bypoll campaign.

The Madurantakam and Dharapuram by-elections are scheduled for October 6, with campaigning expected to intensify in the coming days.