The Election Commission will take note of petitions seeking to disqualify MPs and MLAs on the issue of holding offices of profit only if the President and Governors of the concerned states referred the matter to it, Chief Election Commissioner B B Tandon said on Wednesday.

After reviewing arrangements for the May 8 Tamil Nadu Assembly polls, Tandon told a press conference that the EC would not enquire petitions submitted directly to it.

If a petition on disqualification was referred to the EC, it would inform the complaint to the respondent. Both the complainant and respondent would be called for an inquiry if there were sufficient materials and prima facie evidence, Tandon said.

• What is an office of profit?

On the Tamil Nadu government's complaints that the EC had banned distribution of relief materials to tsunami and flood victims of the state, he said the EC would allow distribution of relief to those who had already been identified by the officials. However, no new beneficirary could be added, he said.

The EC would also allow developmental activities like providing drinking water and laying of roads in the affected areas.

On the Union Finance Ministry's announcement of additional instalment of dearness allowance to central government employees, he said the benefit did not pertain to any particular state and was a national issue; hence there was nothing wrong in it. The model code did not apply to the Centre on national issues, he said.

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