EC transfers Erode East Returning Officer
The Election Commission has transferred N Manish, the Returning Officer of the Erode East Assembly Constituency, and appointed H S Srikanth, as the Commissioner of Erode City Municipal Corporation and the new RO for the constituency, officials said.
On Wednesday, Srikanth assumed charge and began coordinating election preparations with officials.
According to Erode City Municipal Corporation officials, nominations for the constituency for bypoll were accepted from political parties and independent candidates until January 17, as per the EC’s schedule.
One of the candidates, Padmavathy, a resident of Manjunatha Swamy Nilayam, Udayanagar, Bangalore, who is on the electoral roll for the Krishnarajapuram Assembly constituency in Karnataka, filed her nomination.
Her affidavit was notarised in Karnataka, and her nomination was submitted to the RO on January 17. Following scrutiny, her nomination was initially accepted.
The RO announced to the media the final list of 47 candidates, including Padmavathy, on January 20, at 3 pm. The process of allotting symbols to the candidates then began.
However, three independent candidates—Padmarajan, Azhwar, and Noor Mohammed—objected to the inclusion of Padmavathy’s name. They argued that, under EC’s rules, only individuals residing in Tamil Nadu and registered as voters in the state are eligible to contest elections in the state.
Upon further verification, officials acknowledged that accepting Padmavathy’s nomination was a mistake.
District Collector and District Election Officer Raja Gopal Sunkara conducted an inquiry and submitted a detailed report to the Chief Electoral Officer of Tamil Nadu and the Election Commission.
Due to the confusion, the declaration of the final list of candidates was delayed. Following orders from the EC, Padmavathy’s nomination was rejected, and the revised final list of 46 candidates—including those from DMK, Naam Tamilar Katchi, and 44 independents—was released on January 21 at 1.30 am.