CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Sunday allowed the AIADMK to go ahead with its poll to elect its general secretary but the party cannot announce the results until March 24. Both the O Panneerselvam and Edappadi K Palaniswami factions of the party celebrated this as a victory for their sides.
After hearing the arguments from the respective counsels for the sides of former chief ministers OPS and EPS at a special sitting of the court, Justice K Kumaresh Babu passed interim orders to allow the poll process to continue.
However, when the judge asked if the results can be withheld until all petitions are heard, the counsels for the EPS side agreed. As the deadline for filing of nominations to the post closed at 3 pm, EPS was the sole contender, causing his supporters to claim the inevitable had merely been delayed.
The judge said he would hear all the petitions on March 22, although it’s a holiday, and pronounce orders on March 24. Till then declaration of results is to be held back, he said. EPS’ victory will depend on whether the court validates the resolutions adopted at the party’s general council meet last July 11.
The AIADMK announced the poll to the general secretary post and schedule for the same on Friday, hours after the HC adjourned a hearing on plaints filed by OPS’ backers PH Manoj Pandian, R Vaithilingam and JCD Prabhakar to April 11.
The HC refused to grant an interim stay as sought by plaintiffs on the July 11, 2022 GC meet resolutions, when EPS was appointed interim general secretary, but it permitted them to approach if any urgency emerged.
‘Change in poll criteria is against party spirit’
The three OPS supporters filed interim applications on Saturday and sought an urgent hearing as the filing of nominations for the poll would end Sunday afternoon, as per the poll schedule, and the election of EPS would be formalised. Senior counsels PS Raman, AK Sriram and C Manishankar, representing the petitioners, argued that reviving the post of the general secretary was against the spirit of 1.5 crore primary members of the party as they had decided to consider late leader J Jayalalithaa as ‘eternal’ general secretary and abolished the post.
Amendments to change the eligibility criteria for contesting the general secretary polls go against the spirit of the party founder and the short period (two days) for filing nomination papers deprived opportunity to others to contest the election as it is difficult to muster required support to propose and second the candidature within that time, they said.
Launching a spirited counter-attack, senior counsel CS Vaidyanathan, along with Vijay Narayan, blamed OPS of waging a proxy litigation war to shake the foundations of the party. Vaidyanathan said the three plaintiffs - Manoj Pandian, Vaithilingam and Prabhakar - had been expelled from the party eight months ago. They had been “sleeping over” the resolutions of the general council in this regard, but were now crying over deprivation of their rights, he charged. “They are trying to scuttle the general secretary election and stifle the voice of 1.65 crore primary members of the party,” he said.