The High Court of Madras on Thursday declared as null and void the election of OP Raveendranath, son of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, from Theni Parliamentary constituency in 2019.
The Single-Judge Bench of Justice S S Sundar, however, withheld the operation of the order for 30 days, enabling the former India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) leader to file an appeal against the verdict.
A petition was filed in the High Court challenging the poll victory of Raveendranath on the grounds that he suppressed facts about assets and sources of income in the affidavit filed along with the nomination papers for contesting the general elections of 2019.
Raveendranath was the lone AIADMK leader to register victory in the Lok Sabha polls of 2019. The party lost all remaining 38 constituencies in Tamil Nadu.
As per the plea, he had suppressed facts about his assets, investments, sources of income, shares, financial loans and liabilities in the affidavit.
The petition further alleged that the ‘defective’ affidavit filed by the former AIADMK leader was not duly scrutinised by the then Returning Officer of the constituency, despite objections being raised during the scrutiny of nomination papers.
Raveendranath defeated veteran Congress leader and former Union Minister EVKS Elangovan in the Lok Sabha elections. Elangovan was the lone nominee of the DMK-led alliance to lose the 2019 polls.
On July 11, 2022, AIADMK expelled his father and former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam from the party. On July 14, AIADMK Interim General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami expelled Raveendranath, his brother V.P. Jayapradeep and 14 other functionaries from the party’s primary membership for allegedly indulging in ‘anti-party activities’.
Panneerselvam is heading a rival group in AIADMK and involved in a bitter power tussle with former chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami.
Congress candidate EVKS Elangovan, who lost to Raveendranath in 2019, is now an MLA representing the Erode East constituency that fell vacant after the death of his son Thirumagan Evera.