The Madras High Court remarks that MLAs resigning soon after being elected to seek re-election on another party ticket amounts to “mockery of democracy,” and asks the Election Commission of India (ECI) to examine the issue. The court made the observations while hearing a PIL concerning whether such resignations and subsequent bypolls undermine voters’ choices.
The case relates to multiple MLAs who resign shortly after election and then join the ruling party, with bypolls later announced from the same seats. One reported instance involves TVK fielding two former AIADMK MLAs—who resigned within weeks or a month of being elected—contesting the upcoming by-elections. The High Court notes that it is not seeking to bar resignations, but questions scenarios where the vacancy is created by the legislator’s own resignation and the same person re-enters politics on a different ticket. The court urges the ECI, under Article 324, to consider whether guidelines are needed to address the practice.
Across outlets, the differing emphasis is on the court’s critique of democratic conduct versus its procedural focus on what the ECI and constitutional bodies can do in response. No source reports a final directive yet, but all describe the court’s intent to prompt rule-making or guidelines to prevent repeated resign-and-recontest cycles.
