Chennai: The upcoming Erode East bypoll in Tamil Nadu, scheduled for 27 February, is about to be the primary electoral face-off between the 2 warring factions of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) — one led by Edappadi Ok. Palaniswami (EPS) and the opposite by O Panneerselvam (OPS).
The EPS faction Wednesday introduced 65-year-old Ok.S. Thennarasu, a two-time MLA from Erode constituency — first, in 2001, earlier than the delimitation in 2008, and the second time in 2011 from Erode East — as its candidate.
And earlier than the day had ended, OPS, too, had fielded his faction’s candidate for Erode East — 45-year-old Senthil Murugan.
“EPS has been decisive. He moved court docket asking for the (AIADMK) image, and he introduced his candidate first. Now his focus will likely be on guaranteeing a decent (victory) margin to point out that he has the help of the AIADMK cadre,” mentioned political analyst Sumanth C. Raman to ThePrint.
The Bharatiya Janata Celebration (BJP), an ally of the EPS faction, is but to resolve on whether or not it’s going to subject a candidate for Erode East.
In keeping with prime BJP sources within the state ThePrint spoke to, the occasion’s stand on the bypoll will likely be introduced by Friday. They mentioned the senior management of the occasion has been extra centered on getting ready for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
On questions associated to the alliance, BJP’s state vice-president Narayanan Thirupathy advised ThePrint: “BJP Tamil Nadu will make its stand clear in a day or two concerning the Erode East by-election.”
OPS Wednesday had mentioned in a press briefing that “his help can be for the BJP in the event that they had been to subject a candidate and Senthil Murugan would withdraw from the fray” — phrases which Raman mentioned had been “an try by OPS to attempt to get nearer to the BJP”.
OPS had additionally introduced a 118-member election committee that will work for his faction.
For Erode East, the ruling DMK and its alliance companions have determined that the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) will contest.
Former TNCC chief E.V.Ok.S. Elangovan, who will face meeting elections after nearly 39 years, has been chosen because the candidate.
The Erode East seat fell vacant after the sudden demise of Elangovan’s son E. Thirumahan Everra, who died of a coronary heart assault on 4 January this 12 months.
“The higher hand within the contest will most certainly be with the Congress due to the sympathy and due to DMK’s sturdy backing. The one battle between the warring factions of the AIADMK will likely be to see who comes second,” mentioned senior political observer S. Ramesh.
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Ousted OPS & interim common secretary EPS
Final 12 months, on the AIADMK’s Basic Council assembly, 2,460 members unanimously handed a decision to take away former Tamil Nadu chief minister OPS from the first membership of the occasion. EPS, one other former CM and chief of the opposition within the meeting, was voted in because the interim common secretary.
The selections within the assembly prompted clashes between the 2 factions on the AIADMK headquarters, resulting in the sealing of the constructing by the income division.
Ousted OPS’ faction confronted extra setbacks. First when the keys of the occasion headquarters had been handed over to EPS, after which in September 2022, when a two-judge bench of the Madras Excessive Court docket upheld the final council’s appointment of EPS because the interim common secretary.
This verdict was contested by the OPS faction within the Supreme Court docket, which additionally dismissed the plea. OPS then appealed once more on the identical matter within the apex court docket, and the decision is awaited.
Within the Election Fee (EC), each OPS and EPS are nonetheless recognised as Coordinator and Joint Coordinator, respectively, of the AIADMK — one thing which the EPS faction has objected to.
Erode East bypoll check of energy
For the 2 factions, the Erode East bypoll would be the actual battleground.
Erode East is a part of the state’s Kongu belt, EPS’ bastion. On this ballot, each EPS and OPS have fielded candidates specializing in community-based voters. Whereas Thennarasu belongs to the Gounder group, Murugan is from the Mudaliar group — each numerically sturdy communities within the area, mentioned analysts.
“There’s not a lot base for the OPS faction on this area, but when the competition had been within the south of Tamil Nadu, then the state of affairs would have been completely different. On this constituency, if each EPS and OPS contest, EPS will get extra votes than OPS,” mentioned S. Ramesh.
Ma Foi Ok. Pandiarajan, former AIADMK minister, advised ThePrint that “98 per cent of the occasion is with one particular person — EPS, whereas OPS is only a media creation.”
OPS loyalist and former MLA J.C.D. Prabhakar, nonetheless, said that the “cadres of AIADMK recognise OPS, the person chosen by (late AIADMK supremo) Jayalalithaa as their chief, and needed OPS, the coordinator of the occasion, to pick out the (bypoll) candidate”.
He added that the AIADMK’s two-leaves electoral image was “theirs”.
Battle for 2 leaves
The EPS faction has already approached the Supreme Court docket demanding the allotment of the two-leaves image, the AIADMK’s id.
In court docket, EPS has pled that the EC recognise his appointment because the interim common secretary, and requested abolition of the coordinator submit. The court docket has slated the case for listening to on 3 February.
“Proper now, the present judgment of the Madras Excessive Court docket favours EPS and I don’t assume the EC — with out dealing with allegations of being pushed by the BJP — can do something aside from allot the image and interim common secretary place to EPS. We are going to stand with the two-leaves image and the BJP won’t have any selection however to help us,” mentioned Pandiarajan.
The EPS faction Wednesday opened an election workplace in Erode with the banners saying ‘Nationwide Democratic Progressive Alliance’ as an alternative of ‘Nationwide Democratic Alliance’ (which is led in Tamil Nadu by the EPS faction of the AIADMK together with the BJP and different events). The banners made no point out of the BJP anyplace. By Wednesday night time, the banners had been rectified to say ‘AIADMK-led alliance’.
In the meantime, the Tamil Manila Congress, an ally of the AIADMK, has pledged its help to the EPS faction.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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