AIADMK power struggle: Dinakaran faction move Madras HC, meets EC officials

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The cracks in the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) seem to be ever-widening as now the T.T.V. Dinakaran faction has met the officials from the Elections Commission and have requested them to declare the recently-conducted general council meeting of the party null and void.

Vijila Sathyananth, of the Dinakaran faction, told the media here that the faction would soon hold a general council meet of the party after the consent of their general secretary - V.K. Sasikala.

The faction also moved the Madras High Court on plea over a floor test in the Tamil Nadu assembly.

Yesterday, Dinakaran said that he would never go with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), amid speculations that his faction would part ways from the merged factions of chief minister E. Palanisamy and his predecessor O. Panneerselvam.

"I have told the governor to ask Palanisamy to prove their majority. To protect our party, I will go to any extent," he said, adding that his faction has 21 MLAs on its side.

Earlier on Tuesday, Dinakaran invited the EPS-OPS faction of the AIADMK for a face fresh election, if they believe they have the majority in support.

Dinakaran even swore to throw the ruling Tamil Nadu Government out of power.

The AIADMK, in its general council meeting, passed a resolution, according to which jailed party general secretary V.K. Sasikala stands expelled from the party and the post of the temporary general secretary forfeited.

The resolution further said that the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, E. Palanisamy and his deputy, O. Panneerselvam, shall retrieve the party and its symbol.

Other terms of the resolution state that all announcements by T.T.V. Dinakaran stand cancelled.

Tamil Nadu's leader of opposition M.K. Stalin also said that he had moved the Madras High Court because Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao did not take due cognisance of his request of conducting a floor test in state assembly.

Stalin said he had asserted earlier that he will approach the court if Rao fails to address his concerns.

The DMK leader demanded an immediate floor test from the Governor.