Chennai: Election Commission of India is expected to reserve its verdict on the Two Leaves symbol case after hearing the two sides - EPS-OPS camp and TTV Dhinakaran — on Wednesday. Sources said the Election Commission is planning to make public its order by the end of this week.
EC, which began its hearing in the case on October 6 on petitions filed by the then rebel leader O. Panneerselvam and E. Madhusudhanan, is likely to ask both sides to complete the arguments on Wednesday when it resumes the hearing.
The case was adjourned to Wednesday on Monday. While the EPS-OPS camp contended that it should be allotted the “Two Leaves” symbol since it has the support of majority of legislators and parliamentarians, the TTV camp accused its rival camp of submitting fake affidavits from party's general council members. “If the verdict is reserved, it will take just a couple of days to make it public,” a source said.
The TTV camp had sought three adjournments on the issue prompting the EPS-OPS faction to accuse it of seeking adjournments only to delay the case. The battle for “Two Leaves” symbol is expected to reach its crescendo on Wednesday during the last hearing.
O. Panneerselvam and E. Madhusudhanan had filed the case after they rebelled against the then interim general secretary V. K. Sasikala staking claim for the Two Leaves symbol. As the EPS and OPS factions merged, Dhinakaran knocked at the doors of the Election Commission asking it not to pass any orders without hearing their side.
Both the factions have staked claim to the “Two Leaves symbol, which holds sway over people from different generations since it is associated with the charisma of late M. G. Ramachandran.
This is the second time in 29 years that rival claims over Two Leaves symbol has reached the EC. In the aftermath of MGR's death in 1987, the AIADMK split into two factions - J. Jayalalithaa and V. N. Janaki - and since both the groups staked claim over the symbol, the Election Commission kept it under freeze and allotted new symbol for both factions. Later, the symbol was defreezed after the party was united.
