H.S. Srikanth assumed office as the new Commissioner of Erode Corporation on Wednesday (January 22, 2025). He is also the Returning Officer for the byelection to the Erode (East) Assembly constituency, for which polling is scheduled for February 5.
Mr. Srikanth previously served as the Corporation Commissioner of Hosur in Krishnagiri district. He replaces N. Manish, who was relieved of his duty, as he had accepted the nomination of a woman candidate from Bengaluru, which violated the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
In the Act, Section 5 (c) stated that a contesting candidate should be an elector of any Assembly constituency in that State. However, the said candidate, V. Padmavathi of Indian Political Congress Party, was an elector in the K.R. Pura Assembly constituency in Karnataka.
During the allocation of symbols, three independents pointed out that accepting her nomination violated the law. After discussions, clarification was sought from Chief Electoral Officer of Tamil Nadu, after which her nomination was rejected following a 10-hour-long impasse. The list of candidates, which was initially announced as 47, was revised, and Form 7A, listing 46 contesting candidates, was displayed at the Corporation office.
Following this, an order was issued on Tuesday (January 21, 2025) night to relieve Mr. Manish of his duty.
