Sidelined AIADMK leader T.T.V. Dhinakaran on Tuesday sought 15 days additional time from the Election Commission (EC) to submit affidavits in the disputed two leaves symbol case. The EC had set September 29 as the deadline for all parties concerned to present their case.
Sources said the EC was unlikely to agree to their request. “Yes, the Chief Election Commissioner received this request on Tuesday evening. No decision has been taken by the ECI yet,” a senior official said.
Four complaints have been submitted on behalf of Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, jailed and deposed AIADMK interim general secretary V.K. Sasikala and Mr. Dhinakaran. “If one is allotted additional time, others will also ask for the same and the case could then stretch endlessly,” a senior EC official said.
The final hearing is scheduled for October 6.
Mr. Dhinakaran had asserted on Monday that he would provide all necessary evidence to the EC to prove that he had the support of the party cadre and was the rightful claimant of the party symbol.
