The All India Anna Dravida Kazhagam (AIADMK) holds the record of being the only political party in the country whose name and poll symbol (the ‘two leaves’) were frozen and restored twice by the Election Commission following internal disputes – once in 1988 after party founder M.G. Ramachandran’s (MGR) death and again in 2017. However, a comparative analysis of both the instances point to some major differences between the conditions which prevailed during the earlier split and now.
In 1989, the AIADMK factions led by party founder MGR’s widow Janaki and his heroine in 28 films Jayalalithaa contested the Assembly elections on the ‘two pigeons’ and ‘rooster’ symbols respectively. Both lost to their rival DMK but Jayalalithaa’s faction won 27 seats as opposed to a lone seat by the Janaki faction. Eventually, Janaki quit politics and the party reunited under Jayalalithaa’s leadership and was awarded the party’s name and symbol by the EC.
However, in the latest case, though the Sasikala and O. Panneerselvam factions entered the fray in the Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagar Assembly constituency bypolls under the names of AIADMK (Amma) and AIADMK (Puratchi Thalaivi Amma), their sway over the electorate could not be tested as the EC rescinded the notification for the bypoll amidst charges of bribing of voters.
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A complex split
Post-Jayalalithaa, the split in the party itself was not simple. While Mr. Panneerselvam revolted against Sasikala in February, the Supreme Court judgment in the disproportionate assets case convicting the latter changed the course for the party.
Leaders, who were backing Sasikala and her nephew T.T.V. Dhinakaran, eventually sidelined her and joined hands with Mr. Panneerselvam. Though this was famously referred to as a “merger” of both factions, a faction of the party led by Mr. Dhinakaran functioned as a separate entity.
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Consequently, leaders who had submitted sworn affidavits before the EC endorsing Sasikala and Mr. Dhinakaran withdrew the same and submitted fresh affidavits reposing faith in Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and Mr. Panneerselvam.
Unlike in the case of Jayalalithaa who went on to become the supreme leader of the AIADMK, this time the party is bound to witness some unease in its ranks.
For now, Mr. Palaniswami and Mr. Panneerselvam have proclaimed that they will function like a double-barrel gun.