1. DC Vivek HP disqualifies four Zilla Parishad members from the Keyi Panyor/Lower Subansiri district.
2. Members found guilty of violating anti-defection law by switching from BJP to NCP.
3. They supported NCP’s candidate prior to the assembly election, leading to their disqualification.
Itanagar, May 16: In a significant development concerning Arunachal Pradesh’s political landscape, Deputy Commissioner Vivek HP has issued a disqualification order against four Zilla Parishad members representing Keyi Panyor/Lower Subansiri district.
These members were found guilty of violating the anti-defection law by defecting from the BJP to the NCP (Ajit Pawar) and supporting its candidate ahead of the assembly election.
The disqualification order, executed under the Arunachal Pradesh Local Authorities (Prohibition of Defection) Act, 2003, underscores the serious consequences of the members’ actions.
Despite the BJP’s expulsion of the defectors for anti-party activities and subsequent appeals, the DC upheld the disqualification following three hearings where arguments were presented by representatives of both the BJP and the Zilla Parishad members.
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A key aspect leading to the disqualification was the misunderstanding among the ZPMs regarding the district’s bifurcation. They erroneously believed that they constituted a majority in the Zilla Parishad for Keyi Panyor.
However, investigations revealed that the Zilla Parishad had not yet been constituted for Keyi Panyor district, raising doubts about the legality of the members’ actions.
Furthermore, the issue of bifurcation was referred to the State Election Commission, which clarified that the Zilla Parishad had not been formed for Keyi Panyor district.
Despite the ZPMs’ attempts to rejoin the BJP by withdrawing their resignation, their requests were not entertained by the disciplinary action committee of the BJP Arunachal Pradesh.
The decision to proceed with the disqualification during the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) also faced scrutiny, prompting the matter to be referred to the Chief Election Officer (CEO) for clarification before the order was issued.
