Chief minister V Narayanasamy has declared as ‘null and void’ the order of the Lt Governor, annulling appointment of State Election Commissioner (SEC) T M Balakrishnan, triggering a fresh turf war between his government and Kiran Bedi.
In his January 3 order, shared with media on Sunday, the chief minister said the appointment of SEC was an executive action and the removal of the official can only be through a legislative action as stated in Articles 243 K, 243 L and 243-ZB of the Constitution and also under provisions of the Puducherry Municipalities, Commune and Village Panchayats Act 1973.
The development comes days after Bedi had declared the appointment of the SEC by the Narayanasamy-led government as “illegal and null and void.”
In a message to media on December 20, she said that the Centre had directed the Chief Secretary of Puducherry to appoint the state election commissioner through an exclusive selection committee after giving publicity through an all India advertisement.
