HC rejects TDP MLC vote in Tadipatri

[Anta Assamey]

The Telugu Desam Party which is desperately trying to retain at least Tadipatri municipality in Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh where it won majority seats received yet another major setback.

The state high court on Wednesday rejected the plea of TDP legislative council member Deepak Reddy to become an ex-officio member of the municipality.

Reddy challenged the order of the authorities rejecting his application for ex-officio membership in Tadipatri municipality.

He filed a petition in the high court saying that his candidature for the ex- officio member of the Tadipatri municipality was rejected on illegal grounds.

Senior counsel Dammalapati Srinivas appearing on his behalf argued that Reddy was a voter in the electoral rolls of the Tadipatri municipality and therefore he was eligible to be the ex officio member of the council.

Another senior advocate Sumon, appearing for the Tadipatri Municipality argued that Section 5(2)(iv)(a) of the Andhra Pradesh Municipalities act, 1965 provides that an MLC can be an ex-officio member of a municipal council only in such municipality where he is a registered voter on the date of filing of his nomination for becoming an MLC. 

As per the affidavit submitted by Deepak Reddy at the time of filing his nomination for MLC, he had declared that he was enrolled as a voter in the Raydurg Municipality. 

Further in 2018, Reddy had attended two meetings of the Rayadurg Municipality as its ex-officio member and had even signed in the attendance register.

“Just because he has transferred his vote to Tadipatri municipality it does not entitle him to be an ex officio member of that municipality,” Sumon argued.

The high court, which heard both the arguments, rejected Deepak Reddy’s argument and dismissed his application.