RK Nagar bypoll: TTV Dhinakaran declares Rs 74-lakh assets

During the run-up to the April bypoll, AIADMK's rebel leader had declared assets worth Rs 68 lakh

Sidelined AIADMK leader T T V Dhinakaran, who is contesting the December 21 RK Nagar bypoll, on Friday declared movable and immovable assets valued at Rs 74 lakh, a tad higher than his earlier declaration in April.

Dhinakaran, who had contested the April 12 bypoll to the constituency as then AIADMK (Amma) candidate backed by Chief Minister K Palaniswami, had at that time declared assets valued at Rs 68 lakh.

In his affidavit submitted to the Election Commission along with his nomination papers on Friday, Dhinakaran said his movable and immovable assets totalled Rs 74,17,807, with movable assets valued at Rs 57.44 lakh.

His movable assets were Rs 16.73 lakh, the 53-year-old former MP said.

Further, the gross total value of movable assets of his spouse and a dependent was around Rs 6.87 crore and Rs 1.17 crore, respectively, he declared in the affidavit.

Among the cases taken cognisance of by court was the one regarding the alleged bribery of an Election Commission official as part of the Two Leaves dispute, he said.

Delhi Police had earlier filed the case against him and the sidelined leader is now on bail, with the other accused being one Sukesh Chandrasekar.

Four FIR's were pending against him on other matters, Dhinakaran added.

Dhinakaran's challenger and AIADMK nominee E Madhusudhanan declared movable and immovable assets valued at over Rs 1.49 crore.

The 75-year-old veteran, who took on Dhinakaran as the candidate of then rebel O Panneerselvam camp in April, also mentioned he had no pending cases against him.

While the value of his movable property stood at Rs 12.53 lakh, that of his immovable property was Rs 1.37 crore, he said in his affidavit.

He had no liabilities, he added.

The party veteran has been fielded once again to face the bypoll, this time as the AIADMK candidate.

Last week, the Election Commission had allotted the 'Two Leaves' symbol to the Palaniswami-led faction, as both his led camp as well as that of Dhinakaran had staked claim for it.

Palaniswami and Panneerselvam had merged their respective led factions in August this year.

Meanwhile, DMK's N Maruthu Ganesh, a political greenhorn, declared assets valued at Rs 12.57 lakh.

A B Com, LLB graduate, Maruthu Ganesh said in his affidavit that his immovable assets were valued at Rs 10 lakh, even as his liabilities to two private persons stood at a similar sum.

A case under Section 4(b) of Tamil Nadu open places (prevention of Disfigurement) Act, 1959, was pending against him.

All the three persons had earlier in the day filed their nominations to contest the prestigious RK Nagar bypoll, necessitated following the death of sitting MLA and then Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa in December last.