Dhinakaran looks to force bypoll in another key seat

CHENNAI: Rebel AIADMK leader and nephew of former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s close aide Sasikala, TTV Dhinakaran has unveiled a new gambit to both keep his flock of 18 disqualified MLAs together and prove a point that his victory in the RK Nagar bypoll was no luck.

His latest move — of getting his loyalist, Andipatti MLA Thanga Tamilselvan, one of the 18 disqualified, to withdraw the challenge petition — is likely to force a bypoll. This follows the split verdict of a two-judge bench of the Madras high court hearing the petitions, with the decision now resting on the third judge.

But Dhinakaran’s stance is likely rooted in the near-mythical status the AIADMK holds in Andipatti, the constituency of both MG Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa.

Dhinkaran, who has floated AMMK to counter the official All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, hopes to have Tamilselvan contest on an AMMK ticket and win, thus strengthening his claim to be the real inheritors of MGR and Jaya’s legacy.

Dhinakaran, who has already won in Jayalalithaa’s RK Nagar assembly constituency by a huge margin, is looking to repeat that in Andipatti — a strategy to keep his cadres energised. Tamilselvan has announced his intention to withdraw his petition in the high court, even as other MLAs continue to push for a legal resolution to their disqualification.

“I am unable to serve my Andipatti people who voted for me in the previous assembly election. As the judicial proceedings are dragging on, I have decided to withdraw my petition. This would enable the Election Commission to order polls for the Andipatti, which is vacant. I explained the decision to TTV Dhinakaran on Thursday and got the green signal from him,” MLA Tamilsevan told HT.