It is now a battle between AIADMK Amma and the AIADMK Puratchi Thalaivi Amma at the RK Nagar bye-poll.
Less than a day after the Election Commission froze the AIADMK’s two-leaves symbol and barred the use of the party name, the VK Sasikala and O Panneerselvam factions have chosen and been awarded their respective group names and symbols.
With the EC directing the two camps to furnish the names of their groups by 10am on Thursday, the Sasikala and OPS faction have both, not surprisingly, chosen to appropriate Jayalalithaa’s name and legacy in the title of their respective parties. While the faction of Jayalalithaa’s former aide Sasikala has been awarded the name AIADMK Amma, the Panneerselvam camp has been granted the name AIADMK Puratchi Thalaivi Amma.
In its order on Wednesday, the EC had stated, “Both the groups shall be known by such names as they may choose for their respective groups, showing, if they so desire, linkage with their parent party.”
As the EC had frozen the two leaves symbol of the AIADMK, the two camps were also given time to choose a symbol from a list of free symbols allotted by the Commission and submit the same. While Sasikala's camp had submitted the cricket bat, hat and auto rickshaw as their preferred symbols, the EC granted the AIADMK Amma the hat symbol. Interestingly, the choice of hat may have to do with AIADMK founder and late Chief Minister MG Ramachandran's preference for hats - whether in films or on the political stage.
Meanwhile, the OPS camp had requested for the electric pole and been granted the same.Significantly, the electric pole bears close resemblance to the AIADMK’s two leaves symbol, that has now been frozen.
The Election Commission's decision to freeze the two leaves symbol and bar the use of the party name was on account of both factions claiming to be the real AIADMK and staking claim to the symbol. Following a hearing on Wednesday, in which both factions presented their arguments, the EC stated that it was not in a position to give any final decision in the short time available, and therefore chose to allow neither group to use the symbol.
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