Chennai: The decision of the Election Commission of India on the validity of AIADMK general secretary V.K. Sasikala’s appointment and the timing of the EC’s decision will have a serious bearing on the RK Nagar bypoll outcome, since the chances of party nominee T.T.V. Dinakaran getting the ‘Two Leaves’ symbol hinges on it.
If the EC rules that Sasikala’s nomination is invalid, the candidate certified by her cannot get the ‘two leaves’ symbol and Dhinakaran, involved in a battle for political survival, will have to look for alternative symbols in the bypoll. Contesting on the magic symbol of ‘two leaves’ will make a big difference for the ruling party, looking to prove itself as the ‘real AIADMK’ as it faces challenges from former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam’s breakaway group and former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa’s niece J. Deepa. A win or second position in RK Nagar will give the much needed legitimacy to the Sasikala faction.
Political analysts opine that the chances for Sasikal faction to lose the ‘two leaves’ symbol are high, since the party bylaws had fixed a time frame of five years for anyone to become the general secretary. Besides, the party bylaw states that the general secretary should be elected by the cadre.
“The possibilities of EC coming out with an early ruling before the RK Nagar bypoll also looks bright. In the event of an adverse ruling, Sasikala’s AIADMK will have to move for a stay to retain status quo in court to use the Two Leaves symbol for bypoll. It will be protracted legal battle in the court and EC”, said political commentator Govi Lenin.
“If the ruling AIADMK loses the two leaves symbol, it will be a real advantage for the OPS group, which can question the legitimacy of Sasikala faction. The widespread resentment against the Sasikala faction will work strongly against Dhinakaran, if he seeks votes without the ‘two leaves’ symbol”, he added.
The bypoll will be a make or break event for all the three groups claiming the legacy of Jayalalithaa and whoever finishes at the bottom of the table with a few thousand votes is certain to lose the battle in the very first round. The entire official and ruling party machinery, besides a battery of ministers could be expected to besiege the constituency which itself a symbol of Jayalalithaa’s legacy.
Besides, Dhinakaran himself is known to be an adept poll manager. If he has the added advantage of the ‘two leaves’, he can hope to beat the other factions and win legitimacy for the party headed by Sasikala, despite the perceived resentment among the people.
On the contrary, the loss of the ‘two leaves’ is expected to tilt the balance against Dinakaran and gives the other two groups, especially the one led by Panneerselvam, a clear opportunity to secure more support and dent the claims of the ruling party that it remains the real AIADMK.
AIADMK symbol our right, says O Panneerselvam
Former chief minister O. Panneerselvam on Wednesday asked the Election Commission to ensure that his camp is allotted the ‘two leaves’ symbol for the R K Nagar by-election and reinforce the authority of the presidium chairman in the absence of a “permanent general secretary.”
Contending that V. K. Sasikala’s appointment as general secretary of the AIADMK was not valid, Panneerselvam told Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi that she has no powers to appoint or remove office-bearers since she was not elected through elections.
“According to the Constitution of the AIADMK, if the general secretary post is vacant, the office-bearers like presidium chairman (E. Madhusudhanan) and treasurer (O. Panneerselvam) hold powers to run the party. In this case, Madhusudhanan is the in-charge and he should call the shots,” the former CM told reporters in New Delhi.
Asking Zaidi to reinforce the powers of Madhusudhanan as the presidium chairman, Mr Panneerselvam told him that Ms Sasikala has no powers to appoint officebearers and appointments made by her should be declared “null and void.”
Asserting that they are the “original AIADMK” since they were appointed to the posts by late Jayalalithaa, said they briefed the EC officials about the Constitution of the AIADMK.
“Late Amma was very clear that the AIADMK should not go into the control of any family. Since the party has now gone into the hands of one family, we are trying to retrieve the party and the symbol,” O. Panneerselvam said.
The camp also contends that since Ms Sasikala was only appointed as “interim general secretary”, she has no real powers in the party and her action of expulsion leaders owing allegiance to Mr Panneerselvam was “invalid.”
