Sack MLA Ravindrakumar, CPI pleads with CEC

CPI Telangana State Council secretary and former MLA Chada Venkat Reddy has written to the Chief Election Commissioner of India, Dr Syed Nasim Ahmad Zaidi, to disqualify the defector CPI MLA, R. Ravindrakumar, who was elected from the Devarakonda Assembly constituency in Nalgonda district. The CPI leader stated that Ravindrakumar, who was elected on CPI election symbol in 2014 Assembly elections, had defected to the ruling TRS party last week. “This is an unfortunate and immoral activity and attracts provisions of Anti-Defection Law”. Venkat Reddy pointed out that as per the Anti-Defection Law, the Assembly Speaker is supposed to take a decision on defector MLAs to disqualify them. But, unfortunately, though dozens of defections have taken place in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh States in the last 2 years, the Speakers of the respective Legislative Assemblies have failed to take action against the defectors. “It is very unfortunate, as these Speakers belong to ruling parties and were not taking any legal action,' he said. The CPI leader requested the Election Commission of India to intervene and act to disqualify the defector MLA, R. Ravindrakumar, with immediate effect.