Pre-poll alliance: Petition against political parties dismissed

Tamil Nadu: The Chennai High Court has dismissed a petition seeking a directive to the Election Commission to issue instructions prohibiting political parties from forming pre-poll alliances.

M.G.R. Viswanathan from the Tiruvallur district, in a petition filed before the Madras High Court, argued that political parties form pre-poll alliances during parliamentary and assembly elections solely to defeat a common political adversary. He contended that this practice runs counter to the principles of democracy. Consequently, he sought a ban on the formation of alliances prior to elections. The matter came up for hearing on Wednesday before a bench comprising Chief Justice S.A. Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arulmurugan. During the proceedings, the petitioner argued that the Election Commission ought to be directed to issue instructions to political parties forbidding them from entering into pre-poll alliances.

The judges declined to accept this contention and dismissed the petition seeking an order to restrain political parties from forming alliances before elections. They noted that the Madurai Bench of the Supreme Court had previously dismissed a similar petition raising the very same demand.