Celebrations broke out in the AIADMK party headquarters when the Election Commission restored the ruling party’s name and two-leaf symbol on Thursday.

Addressing media persons at the party headquarters in the evening, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edapaddi K Palaniswami (EPS) and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam (OPS) welcomed the EC’s ruling. They said it is an official recognition that the majority of the AIADMK party supporters, MLAs and parliamentarians are with their faction.

A beaming and obviously relieved EPS, sitting next to OPS, announced: “All of us are united and together.”

In an obvious reference to TTV Dhinakaran, VK Sasikala’s nephew and former deputy general secretary of the AIADMK who was ousted from the party, EPS said: “Some people thought they could topple the government but it continues to be strong.” The government will follow the guidelines laid by late leader J Jayalalithaa, he added.

He further announced that all party posts and leaders as they were at the time of Jayalalithaa’s death will continue as they were then.

Key elections

This effectively negates all of Dhinakaran’s announcements made during his brief stint as deputy general secretary of the AIADMK, from mid-February to August.

The EC’s decision is a major relief to the ruling party, as the two-leaf symbol epitomises the AIADMK. This is a key development for the party, which will soon have to face a by-election to the RK Nagar constituency, left vacant after Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s death, and the local body elections.

‘Will challenge decision’

A PTI report quoted Dhinakaran as saying his faction will move the Supreme Court against the EC’s ruling.

He alleged that EC acted in a partisan manner and according to the Centre’s wish while deciding the row. “The Commission did not act neutrally. We will approach the Supreme Court against its order...The ruling confirms that EC functioned in accordance with the Centre’s wish...the Centre’s hand can be seen, Centre’s intervention is there,” he alleged.

Stating that the EC has allotted the symbol to the EPS-OPS faction on the ground they now have the support of 111 MLAs and 42 MPs, he asked why the same rationale was not followed earlier, when the then Sasikala group had the backing of 122 MLAs and 37 MPs.

Without considering this, the EC was ‘keen’ on blocking the symbol, he charged. There can be “no better example to show that the Election Commission did not act neutrally in the matter.”

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