RK Nagar: OPS team parades fake body of Jaya, clash between two groups

The battle for former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s legacy took a bizarre turn on Thursday with one faction of Tamil Nadu’s ruling AIADMK party propping a dummy body resembling the late politician during its campaign for the upcoming by-elections in Chennai.

The two factions of ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), OPS (O Panneerselvam) and EPS (Edappadi Palaniswami) engaged in a violent clash leaving many injured. Senior party leader of OPS faction E Madhusudhanan's vehicle was also damaged during the clash.

The O Panneerselvam faction, AIADMK (Puratchi Thalaivi Amma) created and paraded a dummy showing Jayalalithaa’s dead body in a coffin as campaigner Azhagu Tamilselvi addressed the constituents of RK Nagar, standing right next to former Education Minister Mafoi Pandiarajan. The campaign took place on Thursday at Korukupet in RK Nagar.

Stressing on an independent judicial inquiry to go into the circumstances surrounding Jayalalithaa's death, campaigners urged the voters to cast their votes for 'electric pole' symbol to strengthen the demand.

On Madhusudanan's victory, the demand for the probe will get strengthened, they told the voters.

Both the OPS and EPS faction have been hitting out at each other with just a few days left for the RK Nagar elections in Chennai. The Sasikala camp of the AIADMK had moved the Election Commission challenging the use of party symbol by the OPS camp.