Chidambaram to face trial in election case

Home minister P. Chidambaram suffered a setback on Thursday after the Madras high court refused to dismiss a petition challenging his election to the Sivaganga parliamentary constituency in the 2009 elections.

But in a minor relief to the minister, the court decided to strike down two of the 29 allegations relating to misuse of bank officials and state-owned banks by Chidambaram during the elections.

R.S. Raja Kannappan, an All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) member, who had lost against Chidambaram by a narrow margin of 3,354 votes, had filed a petition immediately after the results of the 2009 elections were declared, demanding that the results be declared void.

He had accused Chidambaram and his election agents of indulging in 'corrupt practices' and manipulating votes. According to Kannappan, Chidambaram – who was the finance minister just a few months before the 2009 elections, when he was shifted to the home ministry – had mobilised funds from banks to fund his campaign. But the high court on Thursday struck off two related allegations.

Kannappan had also demanded a recount of votes in the Sivaganga constituency, and especially in the Alangudi assembly segment.

Last August, the Madras high court had rejected Chidambaram's plea to dismiss Kannappan's petition. He then filed a strike-off petition. But with the high court rejecting this as well, the home minister will now have to face trial in the election case.