Tamil Nadu poll | How a government contract cost a Congress MLA his election: a lesson for 2026 candidates Premium

A Supreme Court ruling warns Tamil Nadu candidates about government contract pitfalls ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.

As Tamil Nadu heads into another high-stakes Assembly election, a landmark Supreme Court judgment from the State’s political past offers a timely warning of how even a technical lapse in handling government contracts can cost a successful candidate his membership of the House.

The case dates back to the 2006 Assembly election from Cheranmahadevi in Tirunelveli district. The victory of P. Veldurai, the Congress candidate, was overturned five years later, not because of voter fraud or malpractice at the booth, but due to a legal disqualification that existed even before polling day.

Veldurai polled 48,527 votes and defeated his nearest AIADMK rival P.H. Manoj Pandian by a margin of 6,032 votes.

Mr. Pandian (now in the DMK) filed an election petition before the Madras High Court challenging his opponent’s victory, raising a key technical point. Under Section 9A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, a person is barred from contesting elections if they have a subsisting contract with the government for executing public works or supplying goods.

Veldurai was a contractor engaged in road works for the Tamil Nadu Highways Department. He attempted to exit his contracts just days before filing his nomination. On the surface, everything appeared in order — termination letters were issued.

However, Mr. Pandian’s counsel argued the contracts had not been validly terminated as per procedure. Hence, he contended, the disqualification clause would still apply to the winning candidate.