Vaishna in, Vinu out: EC says removing Muttada candidate's name was illegal: Kozhikode mayoral candidate's petition dismissed by HC

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The High Court to the rescue. Congress youth star Vaishna can contest in the Muttada ward of the Thiruvananthapuram Municipality. The Election Commission, which held a hearing following the court's order, declared the removal of Vaishna's name from the voter list illegal.

However, the High Court dismissed the petition of director V.M. Vinu, who had been declared as the UDF mayoral candidate in Kozhikode Corporation, creating a setback for Congress. Vinu suffered a setback because his name was not on the draft list and he did not use the opportunities to add his name. Justice P.V. Kunhikrishnan pointed out this.

The Commission clarified in its order that there is no justification for the removal of Vaishna's name by the Municipal Election Officer without considering the essence of the Election Commission's guidelines. The documents submitted by Vaishna were not considered. The procedures as per the rules were not followed. Therefore, the removal of Vaishna from the voter list cannot be legally valid.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission's failure to inform the petitioner of the decision in the hearing has once again led to the High Court's intervention. Tomorrow is the last date for filing nomination papers. Vaishna's lawyer brought the matter to the attention of the High Court yesterday. The court directed that the decision be communicated immediately. The Commission stated that the decision was not made public because the matter was to be communicated to the High Court. The decision in the hearing was communicated to Vaishna after the High Court said that there was no such instruction in the order.