CHENNAI: Even as the interim general secretary of AIADMK and former Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) filed his nomination papers amid euphoria to contest the organisational polls for electing the general secretary of the party on Saturday, an MLA from his rival camp of O Panneerselvam (OPS) has knocked the doors of Madras High Court to restrain the party from holding the polls.
The petition is filed by PH Manoj Pandian, an MLA representing the Alangulam segment in the Tamil Nadu Assembly. The Registry is learnt to have listed the matter before Justice K Kumaresh Babu for hearing on Sunday.
The petition has been filed as the election of EPS to the coveted post looks imminent.
The petitioner has sought the court to stay the conduct of the March 26 polls, which were announced on Friday, because the plaints challenging the legality of the resolutions of the July 11, 2022, general council meeting, that paved the way for electing EPS as interim general secretary, are still pending.
Apart from Manoj Pandian, two other leaders-R Vaithilingam and JCD Prabhakar- owing allegiance to the embattled OPS have filed the plaints before the High Court.
The Supreme Court recently held that the conduct of July 11, 2022, general council legal but the parties (both camps) have to fight out the legality of the resolutions in the High Court. However, the High Court did not heed the plea of OPS’s supporters for staying the operation of the resolutions.
The earlier attempts of OPS camp to thwart the move of his bête noir from ascending to the crown, by way of litigations seeking to stall the June 23, and July 11, 2022, general council meeting and passing resolutions to abolish posts of coordinator and joint coordinator, turned futile exercises.
OPS and the top leaders of his camp were also expelled from the party through resolutions passed at the July 11 general council meeting.