Win for EPS: EC recognises him as AIADMK gen secy

In a relief for Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS), the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday recognised him as the general secretary of the AIADMK updating its records with changes that have effectively abolished the dual leadership.

The ECI in its communication informed EPS that the party’s ‘amended rules and regulations’ and ‘change in office bearer’ have been taken on record “subject to any further court order/direction”.

The ECI has also allotted AIADMK the two-leaves symbol, as per another letter issued by the poll body. There letter addressed to Karnataka’s chief electoral officer (CEO), where assembly elections are due in May, states that the AIADMK’s candidates are eligible for the ‘two-leaves’ symbol.

Both EPS and his former colleague-turned-rival O Panneerselvam (OPS) have fielded a candidate each in one seat in the neighbouring Karnataka state’s assembly.

With this development, EPS urged his cadre to ensure that AIADMK wins all the 39 seats in Tamil Nadu and the lone seat in neighbouring Puducherry in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

“This journey has been rough for me. It was full of thorns,” EPS said in a statement.

“So many tests and betrayals. But, we have now overcome all the problems created by traitors. The struggle to protect AIADMK’s 1.5 crore cadre went up to the Supreme Court and we won. Now, our victory is that the ECI has recognised us.”

By holding the July 11 general council meeting last year as valid, the Madras high court and the Supreme Court have favoured EPS in petitions filed by OPS against his ouster. The present case pertains to OPS and three of his supporters – P H Manoj Pandian, R Vaithilingam and JCD Prabhakar challenging the resolutions passed during this meeting which they say the top court has not gone into.

A bench comprising Justices R Mahadevam and Mohammed Shaffiq are hearing this batch of petitions.

However, OPS’ faction has not yet accepted defeat. “The ECI has given them the two-leaves symbol similar to how it allotted the symbol to them for the Erode-east by-election held in February,” said Panruti Ramachandran, a veteran leader supporting OPS.

“It is only temporary... So, we are not worried,” he said.

“The ECI has said that they are recording it until the final verdict of the court so we do not consider this a problem,” he added.

The ECI’s decision came on the same day of Madras high court resuming the hearing of the expelled leader OPS and his supporters over their ouster and the elevation of EPS on July 11, last year.

The Delhi high court had on April 12 directed the ECI – based on EPS’ petition (after he was elected the AIADMK’s general secretary on March 28) – to decide on updating their records with the changes within 10 days.

“The Commission has decided to extend the concession sought by the party under Paragraph 10. of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order. 1968. Accordingly, the candidate set up by All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam at the current general election to the legislative assembly of Karnataka from all assembly constituencies of the said state shall be allotted the symbol ‘two leaves’,” the ECI said on Tuesday. (Pl check )

The EPS-led AIADMK held meeting with its district secretaries in the headquarters in Chennai on Thursday. Before starting their discussion, the party celebrated, rasising slogans in support of the new general secretary.

EPS paid his respects to the statues of AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran and his protégé J Jayalalithaa and distributed sweets.