A day after former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam met the Chief Election Commissioner staking a claim to the AIADMK symbol “two leaves”, V.K. Sasikala supporters on Thursday maintained that there was no split in the party, urging the electoral body not to entertain such requests by the dissenting group.
The delegation comprising M. Thambidurai, who is also the Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker, met the Election Commission and requested that the demands for a fresh election to the post of general secretary should also not be considered.
Mr. Thambidurai said that there was no split in the party and that even though in a democratic system people were allowed to raise several issues, all of them could not be entertained.
The tussle for the party symbol comes ahead of by-elections on April 12 for the R.K. Nagar seat that fell vacant after the death of Jayalalithaa. The party would contest the by-polls, with the support of all its MPs and MLAs, said Mr. Thambidurai.
Contesting the allegations that Ms. Sasikala’s election as the interim general secretary was in violation of the party constitution, Mr. Thambidurai said the procedure was similar to the one followed when Ms. Jayalalithaa was elevated to the post in 1989. Ms. Jayalalithaa was then the interim general secretary. Those who were now opposing Ms. Sasikala’s election had signed papers accepting the decision, he said.
Mr. Thambidurai said the Election Commission had also accepted the by-poll expenditure papers of the three constituencies, Aravakurichi, Thanjavur and Thiruparankundram, signed by Ms. Sasikala.
He said elections for the party’s top post would be conducted after the tabling of the Budget in the Tamil Nadu Assembly and the R.K. Nagar by-polls.
On Wednesday, opposing Ms. Sasikala’s elevation, the other group led by Mr. Panneerselvam had met the Election Commission staking a claim to the party symbol. It also asked the Commission to allow office-bearers appointed by the then AIADMK general secretary, Ms. Jayalalithaa, to continue until a new person was appointed to the post.
(EOM)
