Nearly three months after former Minister K. Ponmudy was convicted by the Madras High Court in a corruption case, the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Secretariat has declared as vacant the Tirukkoyilur Assembly constituency, which was represented by him. It also informed the Election Commission of India (EC) about the vacancy, an official source said.
Following his conviction, Mr. Ponmudy stood automatically disqualified from holding membership of the Assembly under the Representation of People Act. An official source said the Legislative Assembly Secretariat had informed the EC about the vacancy.
“The information has been conveyed to the EC,” the source said. Last week, the AIADMK had submitted a representation to the Assembly Speaker seeking to declare the seat vacant.
The Madras High Court had in December 2023 convicted Mr. Ponmudy in a disproportionate assets case and sentenced him to three-years imprisonment.