LMC House to seek legal opinion on rebel Cong members

TNN / May 10, 2008, 04:36 IST

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The move comes in the wake of the corporators' having contested on the party's symbol, and thus be so liable to fall in the ambit of the anti-defection law if at all they march into the BSP camp.

LMC House to seek legal opinion on rebel Cong members

LUCKNOW: A day after 14 Congress corporators resigned from the party, following the lead of former union minister Akhilesh Das, amidst their likelihood of joining the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) along with him, the house of Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) was planning to seek legal opinion vis-s-vis the "fresh status of corporators".
The move comes in the wake of the corporators' having contested on the party's symbol, and thus be so liable to fall in the ambit of the anti-defection law if at all they march into the BSP camp.
Talking to TOI, Lucknow mayor Dinesh Sharma said that "it is only after I receives papers from the corporators that would I be in a position to say anything." He, however, confirmed that they would be seeking legal opinion into the issue which appears to rock the municipal house.
The rebel corporators led by Nagendra Singh Chauhan, asserting their loyalty towards the former Rajya Sabha MP, had sent their resignation letters to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. But in the process, they seem to have raked up the issue of their status as a corporator.

Since all Congress corporators contested on party symbol 'Palm', they should be taken as full-fledged representatives of the party.
The move to seek legal opinion, however, would not be of much help as the corporators do not come under the ambit of the anti-defection law, municipal sources said. "The corporators do not contest on party tickets even though they may appear to do so," said a senior municipal official dealing with theissue.

His opinion is supported by a senior official in the district administration who said that since anyone can contest municipal elections, corporators would not fall in the ambit of the anti-defection law.
Meanwhile, the "defection" is all set to change the entire political scenario within the municipal house. The change would no doubt hold special significance for the BSP as they would finally be opening their account in the body. The party had not contested the municipal elections in November 2006, even though it has managed to send a representative to the executive committee essentially dominated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The 12-member executive committee already has seven members from the BJP.
Three are from the Samajwadi Party while Congress has only one, that is Chauhan. Of late, an independent corporator Ramu Pal got the support from the BSP thus making the party's presence felt in the municipal body.
Now, with Chauhan's chances of joining the BSP, the number would rise to two, meaning more influence for it within the highest decision making body.

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