Chennai: Tamil Nadu assembly speaker J C D Prabhakar on Wednesday stated that four former AIADMK MLAs have submitted their responses to show-cause notices issued under the anti-defection law within the stipulated timeframe. The speaker confirmed that further action would be taken after a thorough review of their explanations.
Show-Cause Notices and Responses
The notices were served on June 9 following a complaint from AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami, who sought action against the legislators. The MLAs who responded are Maragatham Kumaravel, P Sathyabama, S Jayakumar, and Esakki Subaya. They have handed over their explanations, and the legal course of action under the anti-defection law will be determined after examining their replies, the speaker said.
Viralimalai Seat Declared Vacant
In a related development, Tamil Nadu legislature secretariat secretary R Santhi issued a gazette notification declaring the Viralimalai assembly constituency vacant. The seat was previously held by former AIADMK minister C Vijayabaskar, who resigned from his MLA post on Tuesday. He becomes the fifth AIADMK MLA to resign recently, reducing the party's strength in the state assembly from 47 to 42.
This series of resignations and anti-defection proceedings marks a significant political shift in Tamil Nadu's legislative landscape.
