The ensuing war between the Union Home Minister P Chidambaram and the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa is dating back to decades. The recent furor is about the lapses in the counting of votes in the Sivagaga constituency from which the Union Minister won in 2009. On Thursday the Madurai bench of the Madras high court dismissed the plea filed by the Mr Chidambaram to dismiss an election petition against him.

The home minister's election has been bogged down in controversy right from the start. His AIADMK rival R. S. Raja Kannappan had alleged malpractices during the counting. He said Chidambaram's victory was doctored and should be declared null and void. He alleged that personnel engaged in counting had favoured the minister. The AIADMK sought re-counting, especially in the Alangudi assembly segment considered to be a stronghold of the party. Kannappan filed on June 25, 2009 a petition in this regards.

In a statement here, the Ms J Jayalalithaa said it was her party's position that Mr. Chidambaram won the 2009 Lok Sabha election from Sivaganga “in a fraudulent manner.” She recalled that she had been reiterating the position ever since Mr. Chidambaram was declared winner three years ago. Last year too, she made this point.

However, Mr Chidambaram ridiculed such demands. "I am astonished by the monumental ignorance displayed by certain political leaders," he told a news agency, "This is an election petition. There are 111 election petitions filed against members of 15th Lok Sabha." The government and the Congress stood by Chidambaram, claiming the case had little bearing over his functioning as home minister.  (With Inputs from Internet- Aarkay)