Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK General Secretary Jayalalithaa, who has been hospitalised for over a month, affixed her thumb impression in the place of her signature on the bye-election affadivits of three AIADMK candidates.
Nomination papers uploaded by the Election Commission show that Jayalalithaa’s left thumb impression was attested by Dr P Balaji of Rajiv Gandhi Government Hospital on Thursday with Apollo Hospital’s Dr Babu K Abraham as witness.
“The signatory is presently hospitalised at Apollo Hospital, Greames Road, Chennai. Since the signatory has undergone a tracheotomy recently and has an inflamed right hand, she’s temporarily unable to apply her signature. Hence, she has affixed her left thumb impression on her own in my presence,” reads the statement attested by Dr P Balaji on the nomination paper.
Jayalalithaa was admitted to Apollo Hospital in Chennai on September 22 after complaints of “fever and dehydration”. The last bulletin released by the hospital on October 21 stated that the Chief Minister is interacting and “progressing gradually”. The hospital also revealed that she was under treatment and observation for all vital parameters, and continued to receive respiratory support and passive physiotherapy.
Former MLA AK Bose filed his nomination for the Thiruparankundram assembly constituency, former Minister Senthil Balaji filed his nomination for Aravakurichi and M Rangasamy for Thanjavur on Friday.
Polls to the Aravakurichi and Thanjavur assembly constituencies, which had originally been scheduled for May 16, had been cancelled by the Election Commission after huge sums of money were seized by officials, while the EC had called for bye-election to Thiruparankundram assembly constituency after AIADMK’s SM Seenivel died on May 25. Bye-elections for the three constituencies will be held on November 19,
Before filing his nomination, AK Bose offered prayers at the Kalyana Vinayagar temple in Harveypatti for Jayalalithaa’s speedy recovery. Finance Minister O Panneerselvam also participated in the pooja.