HC permits regional parties to contest MCD election on party symbo

New Delhi, Mar 9 (UNI) The Delhi High Court today directed the State Election Commission (SEC) to amend the notification issued for the municipal election and allow the regional parties to field their candidates on party symbol.

While disposing of a petition filed by Delhi Pradesh National Panters Party, Justice B D Ahmed said the SEC should amend the notification and allow the regional parties to field their candidates.

In a petition, Sanjoy Sachdev, the president of the regional party, alleged that the SEC in its notification on March 2, 2007, had allowed only national parties to contest the election to be held in May.

''The SEC has withdrawn the recognition conferred upon 54 state political parties including my party,'' he said in the petition.

The order of the SEC was discriminatory, arbitrary, unconstitutional and violative of the Section 13 of the Delhi Municipal Act, 1970, the petition contended.

Sachdev had sought the direction of the Court to the SEC to quash the order and permit all the regional parties to contest the election on a party basis.

UNI