EC freezes AIADMK symbol, name; OPS 'shocked', Dinakaran 'ready for fight'

The Election Commission (EC) froze the ‘two leaves’ poll symbol of the AIADMK late on Wednesday, a day before the last date of filing nomination for the by-election to the R K Nagar assembly seat in Tamil Nadu, which was necessitated by the death of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa.

The EC gave both factions time till 10 am on Thursday to choose new symbols to contest the crucial R K Nagar bypoll.
It further remarked that it needs more time to read the voluminous documents submitted by both factions.

The decision came after the EC heard the rival factions of O. Panneerselvam and V.K. Sasikala, who had staked their claim to the symbol.

Pending a final resolution of the dispute, the factions have also been barred from using the party’s name in the bypoll.

“A deeper examination and more closer look would also be required to the various provisions of the party constitution on which both the groups relied to buttress their submissions on factual and legal basis.

No one would grudge the fact that it is almost humanly impossible to study all the aforesaid records running into more than 20,000 pages and to analyze the oral submissions made by the learned senior counsels for more than six hours continuously, and then come to a definite finding or conclusion on the disputed questions of facts and law,” the interim order said.

While Panneerselvam expressed shock and vowed to retrieve the symbol, TTV Dinakaran said it is not a setback. "We will wage a legal war and approach the Supreme Court," he said.