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        The High Court may have given a split verdict on the local poll violence issue. But the observation of one of the judges on the need to hold elections afresh in 99 Wards of the Corporation has triggered a demand for the dissolution of the Corporation Council by the opposition parties in the State.

        In separate statements today, MDMK general secretary Vaiko and BJP State president L Ganesan had welcomed the court's verdict and urged for fresh repolls.

        Going a step forward, Vaiko demanded the resignation of Chief Minister M Karunanidhi 'as he had murdered democracy by instigating violence in the local body polls.'

        While Vaiko said the Corporation Council should be immediately dissolved and the SEC Chandrasekaran, Director General of Police D Mukherjee, City Police Commissioner Letika Saran be suspended, Ganesan described the ruling as a Pongal gift to the people of Tamilnadu.

        It maybe noted that the Madras High Court gave a split decision on a batch of petitions seeking re-election to all 155 wards of the Corporation following alleged violence, bogus voting and booth capturing during the civic polls in November last.

        Dismissing petitions filed by AIADMK and other political parties, senior judge of the Division Bench, Justice S J Mukhopadhaya held that in the absence of specific pleadings and presentations by the petitioners and the provisions laid down under Article 226 of the constitution,it was not feasible for the court to determine if the elections were free and fair or void and invalid.

        Justice F M Ibrahim Kallifullah, the second judge of the Bench, in a dissenting judgement, said, 'it is an extreme and extraordinary situation which calls for an extraordinary remedy.'

        Directing the State Election Commissioner (SEC) to hold elections afresh in 99 wards of the corporation by strictly adhering to the norms and providing police protection to enable free and fair polls, the Judge said that since the elections in 99 wards were found to be vitiated the rules.

        The Bench then referred the matter back to the Chief Justice for appointing a third judge to decide the matter.