A day after Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal disqualified 18 AIADMK MLAs owing allegiance to “removed” party leader TTV Dhinakaran, the latter has moved the Madras High Court challenging the same. The Madras HC has allowed the plea and an urgent hearing will take place in the matter. The 18 MLAs were disqualified from the party under anti-defection and disqualification rules of 1986 formed in accordance with the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution. The MLAs had revolted against Chief Minister K Palaniswami last month. After their disqualification yesterday by Assembly Speaker P. Dhanapal, the disqualified MLAs backing TTV Dhinakaran had then filed a plea challenging their disqualification.

 Disqualified MLAs

The MLAs who have been disqualified include Thangatamilselvan, R Murugan, Mariappan Kennedy, K Kathirkamu, C Jayanthi Padmanabhan, P Palaniappan, V Senthil Balaji, S Muthiah, P Vetrivel, NG Parthiban, M Kothandapani, TA Elumalai, M Rengasamy, R Thangadurai, R Balasubramani, SG Subramanian, R Sundarraj and K Uma Maheswari.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Governor C Vidyasagar Rao today met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, a day after 18 rebel AIADMK MLAs loyal to sidelined leader TTV Dhinakaran were disqualified under the anti-defection law. According to PTI, during the 20-minute meeting, the governor believed to have apprised the home minister about the current political developments in the southern state, officials said. The disqualified MLAs had yesterday told the governor that they had no confidence in Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Palaniswami, and accused him of being corrupt.

Sidelined AIADMK leader T T V Dhinakaran on September 18 claimed that legislators supporting him would not have disqualified had Governor Vidyasagar Rao acted on time on their plea against Chief Minister K Palaniswami. “Because the Governor made unnecessary delay despite knowing that Palaniswami did not have the 117 magic number, such a murder of democracy has happened,” he alleged.

Also read:Tamil Nadu Speaker P Dhanapal: disqualifies 18 AIADMK MLAs loyal to TTV Dinakaran