Samajwadi Party MLA in coma: UP Governor sends plea seeking his disqualification to EC

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik has referred a petition seeking disqualification of Samajwadi Party MLA Waqar Ahmad Shah, who is in coma for a long time, to Election Commission for opinion.

Juthika Patankar, Principal Secretary to the Governor, had on November 23 referred this matter to be placed before the EC for its opinion, Social Activist Nutan Thakur said, showing a copy of the letter.

Thakur, wife of suspended IPS Amitabh Thakur on May petitioned the Governor seeking Bahraich MLA Waqar Ahmad Shah for being in coma for long and hence being disqualified under Article 191 of the Constitution.

"When a person is in coma, his capabilities of thinking and rational decision-making get completely stopped and hence he comes in the category of person with unsound mind as defined in Article 191," the petition to Governor said.

It also said that Shah has been in coma for two years now, because of which he had to be removed from ministership as well. "In such circumstances, the people of this constituency cannot be deprived of their constitutional right of having a public representative in state assembly," it added.