By IANS,
New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram: The Election Commission Tuesday recommended to the president that former minister P.C. Thomas be barred from contesting any election for the next three years as he had violated the model code of conduct during the 2004 Lok Sabha polls.
Thomas, who was union minister of state for law in 2003-2004, is said to have violated the model code of conduct when he contested the polls from the Muvattupuzha Lok Sabha constituency in Kerala as a candidate of the Indian Federal Democratic Party (IFDP). It was part of the National Democratic Alliance led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“So far I have not got any intimation…it is only through media reports. Once the president comes out with her decision, I can appeal to her,” Thomas told IANS in Kerala.
In the 2004 elections, Thomas defeated his nearest rival, the Communist Party of India-Marxist’s (CPI-M) P.M. Ismail, by 529 votes.
Ismail approached the Kerala High Court, saying that Thomas had made a religious and communal appeal to voters, which was against the model code of conduct. The court upheld the charge in 2006 and set aside Thomas’ election. He was then given a month’s time to file an appeal in the apex court.
The apex court upheld the high court verdict Sep 4, 2009. It said that there was prima facie evidence that Thomas had committed a corrupt practice under Section 123(3) of the Representation of the People Act by appealing to the electorate to vote for him on the basis of his community. The apex court held that his election was invalid.
But by the time the judgment came, his tenure in the Lok Sabha had ended.
Thomas, who is the chairman of the Kerala Congress-Joseph that saw a split last week, said contesting elections was not his priority right now as he wanted to strenghten his party.
“I have no intention to contest the election because all my efforts would go to re-organise my party. If I want I can appeal to the president of India,” Thomas said.
The Kerala Congress-Joseph split after P.J. Joseph decided to merge a faction of the party with the Kerala Congress-Mani, a constituent of the opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF).