Erode (East) bypoll 2025: nomination of candidate from Karnataka rejected, 46 candidates in fray

10-hour impasse over Bengaluru candidate's nomination for Erode byelection ends with rejection due to residency issue.

The 10-hour long impasse over the nomination of a woman candidate from Bengaluru for the Erode (East) Assembly byelection ended at 3 a.m. on Tuesday (January 21, 2025), with election officials rejecting her nomination as she was not an ordinarily a resident of Tamil Nadu. The number of contestants was revised from 47 to 46.

The byelection was necessitated by the death of Congress legislator E.V.K.S. Elangovan, and the Election Commission announced the schedule on January 7. Out of 65 nominations, 54 were accepted, three were rejected and eight were withdrawn. By 3 p.m. on Monday, Returning Officer and Corporation Commissioner N. Manish told media persons that 47 candidates were contesting and that symbol allocation would commence shortly.

Symbol allocation began at 4 p.m., but trouble erupted when three independents, K. Padmarajan, A. Noormuhamad and Agni Aalvar, objected to V. Padmavathi’s nomination from the Indian Political Congress Party. Citing the Representation of the People Act, 1951, they argued that her nomination should have been rejected during scrutiny on January 18 as she was not a registered voter in Tamil Nadu. Officials completed the allocation of symbols to other candidates by 5 p.m..

However, the stalemate continued for many hours and District Election Officer and Collector Raja Gopal Sunkara arrived at the Corporation Central office and held discussions with Mr. Manish and the General Observer Ajay Kumar Gupta. Later, Mr. Manish, citing the objection raised by the three independents, wrote to the Chief Electoral Officer of Tamil Nadu seeking clarification. After receiving the reply, Mr. Manish informed media persons that the nomination of the Bengaluru candidate was rejected.

At 3 a.m., the Election Commission of India portal confirmed the rejection, and Form 7A, listing 46 contesting candidates, was displayed at the Corporation office.