Rameshwar to be sworn in shortly

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Nov 7: In line with the High Court of Manipur’s verdict which declared the election of Y Surchandra in the 2017 State Assembly election as null and void, and entitled his closest rival M Rameshwar to be declared as the elected representative of Kakching AC, the Election Commission of India has asked the Chief Electoral Officer to publish a gazette notification in this regard.
In accordance to the High Court’s order, Election Commission of India Under Secretary Lav Kush Yadav wrote to the CEO to publish a gazette notification, sources informed.
The CEO has conveyed the ECI’s intimation to the Chief Secretary and the Manipur Legislative Assembly Secretary in black and white.
The Manipur Legislative Assembly Secretariat would take up necessary process of swearing in M Rameshwar as an MLA after due gazette notification is published.
Another source informed that the Assembly Secretariat received a letter from the Election Commission this evening which conveyed its consent to swearing in M Rameshwar as a Member of Manipur Legislative Assembly.
As such, M Rameshwar may be sworn in as an MLA on Monday.
Notably, a petition filed by Surchandra seeking liberty from the High Court of Manipur to take his case to the Supreme Court was dismissed by the High Court yesterday.
Nonetheless, Surchandra maintained that all necessary documents have been sent to a lawyer of the Supreme Court and a case may be filed by next Thursday challenging the High Court’s verdict.
Three candidates contested for the Kakching Assembly seat in the State Assembly election held in 2017. Even if the candidate who secured the maximum votes has been invalidated,    the result of the three-cornered cannot be declared, says a Supreme Court ruling.
A three-member bench of the Supreme Court re-confirmed the same ruling on October 13 this year, Surchandra asserted.