TN trust vote: BV Acharya demands secret ballot for free and fair voting

BV Acharya demanded a secret ballot to decide on confidence motion in the Tamil Nadu assembly on Saturday.

Chennai, Feb 18: Senior advocate BV Acharya demanded a secret ballot for a free and fair trust vote in the Tamil Nadu assembly scheduled on Saturday. Acharya served as the special public prosecutor and special counsel in the disproportionate assets case involving Late Jayalalithaa and AIADMK general secretary Sasikala Natarajan.

Recently, the Supreme Court convicted Sasikala and three of her accomplices in the case, thus vindicating Acharya's stand on the 21-year-old long corruption case.

"I strongly appeal for a secret ballot when the motion of confidence is moved in the TN assembly. At least, the speaker should permit secret ballot. To some extent, MLAs will be free to exercise their franchise," Acharya told ANI.

Acharya added that Governor Vidyasagar Rao should have declared President's rule in the southern state. "The governor should have brought in President's rule for at least two-three months, so that normalcy prevails and MLAs are free and not under threat," Acharya told ANI.

"They (MLAs) are not given opportunity. They are huddled together in a resort with other MLAs. Where is the chance of any free thinking and deliberation?" Acharya questioned.

"You can't say it is a vote exercised by them (MLAs who stayed in resort) out of their free will," he added.

Earlier, former TN CM O Panneerselvam's camp has also demanded a secret ballot on Saturday when the motion of confidence is moved in the assembly. S Semmalai of Panneerselvam camp said a group of them, representing the former CM's camp, have urged the Speaker for a secret ballot to decide on the confidence motion.

The trust vote in the assembly will decide the fate of newly-appointed CM Edappadi K Palanisamy government. The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in the state is currently fighting an internal battle of supremacy as the party is divided into two camps. The results of the internal war will be decided in the floor test in the TN assembly on Saturday. Both the camps--one lead by Palanisamy and the second by Panneerselvam--are confident of victory.

OneIndia News