Dinakaran faction files caveat before EC

The Dinakaran faction of the AIADMK on Tuesday filed a caveat before the Election Commission that it should be heard before the poll body takes any decision on any pleas to be submitted by the faction consisting of O.Panneerselvam and Edappadi K Palanisamy after their recent merger.

Karnataka AIADMK unit chief Pugazhendi and Namakkal District Secretary Anbazhagan, a former MP, filed a petition before the Election Commission in the wake of media reports that the rival faction leaders would file petitions withdrawing earlier affidavits by their respective factions that led to the freezing of the "Two Leaves" symbol earlier this year.

As respondents in the case, General Secretary V.K. Sasikala and Deputy General Secretary T.T.V. Dinakaran belonging to the AIADMK (Amma) faction should be heard in the case, the petition filed on Tuesday said.

Following the death of J.Jayalalithaa, rival factions had approached the Commission seeking the "Two Leaves" symbol for contesting the R.K. Nagar Assembly by-election in April which was countermanded following allegations of use of money power to influence the outcome. In the by-election, the Panneerselvam faction was recognised as AIADMK (Puratchi Thalaivi Amma) and the Dinakaran faction was recognised as AIADMK (Amma). Dinakaran contested the election as an AIADMK (Amma) candidate.

However, in a dramatic turn of events, the two factions came together last week in a bid to isolate Sasikala and Dinakaran after declaring that their nomination to the posts of General Secretary and Deputy General Secretary was invalid.

The OPs and EPS groups are likely to approach the Commission shortly seeking withdrawal of their earlier affidavits claiming that they have merged and that unity has been registered in the party. They are likely to ask for defreezing of the "Two Leaves" symbol and alloting it to the merged factions.

--IANS

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