Poll panel assigns electric pole to OPS, Sasikala faction gets hat

The Election Commission (EC) allotted new names and symbols to two warring factions of Tamil Nadu’s ruling party AIADMK on Thursday for the bypoll in RK Nagar seat of former CM J Jayalalithaa.

On Wednesday, the EC had barred the rival factions from using the party name and iconic two-leaves symbol in the bypoll.

The faction led by former CM O Panneerselvam will contest the April 12 bypoll under the name of AIADMK Puratchi Thalaivi Amma (Revolutionary Leader Amma, a reference to late Jayalalithaa) with electric pole as its symbol. The rival TTV Dhinakaran-led faction, which owes allegiance to jailed Jayalalithaa confidante VK Sasikala, will contest under the name AIADMK Amma and hat symbol.

A few analysts insisted the electric pole symbol’s resemblance to the “Irattai Ilai” (two leaves), though flimsy, would bolster the chances of the Panneerselvam camp candidate, E Madhusudhanan. He is up against AIADMK deputy general secretary Dhinakaran, who is Sasikala’s nephew.

After the EC froze the twoleaves symbol, both factions submitted their new names to the poll panel and chose the symbols from a list of free symbols. The EC had said the groups could choose names showing linkage with their parent party.

This is the second time in the history of the AIADMK that its two leaves symbol has been frozen. The first was shortly after the death of party founder MG Ramachandran (MGR), when the AIADMK split into two factions: one led by MGR’s wife Janaki and the other by Jayalalithaa.

This is the latest episode in a bruising fight for the legacy of Jayalalithaa, who died in December last year. Sasikala, a longtime companion of the former chief minister, was named as her successor by the party but days before her anointment, Panneerselvam revolted against her.