T.T.V. Dhinakaran, deputy general secretary of the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK), was elected general secretary of the organisation at a meeting of office-bearers and senior functionaries in Chennai on Friday.
The AMMK, which was floated as a temporary organisation, will now be registered as a political party with the Election Commission of India. He replaced his aunt, V.K. Sasikala, who held the post since the party’s inauguration in March 2018. Sasikala is serving her sentence at a jail in Bengaluru. “As soon as she is out of jail, she will function as president of the party,” Mr. Dhinakaran told reporters. Namakkal S. Anbalagan, chairman of the presidium of the party, was made vice-president.
Pointing out that the move had been made in consultation with his aunt and senior leaders of the party, Mr. Dhinakaran hinted that Sasikala would continue with litigation for getting control of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). She might file a review petition with the Supreme Court, against the Court’s order of dismissing his plea for reversing the Delhi High Court’s judgment that upheld the Election Commission’s order to recognise the Edappadi K. Palaniswami-O. Panneerselvam faction as the AIADMK. Disclosing that the application for the AMMK’s registration with the EC would be presented on Monday, Mr. Dhinakran made it clear that the question of merging his organisation with the AIADMK would not arise at all, after having decided to keep the name of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in the title of the organisation and her image on the flag of the AMMK.
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Claiming that most of the ruling party’s workers had joined the AMMK, he said “if others want to come to us, we will function only as members of the AMMK and not those of the AIADMK”.