Both EPS, OPS name candidates for Erode East bypolls | Latest News India | Times Of Ahmedabad

Chennai:

After All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) interim general secretary Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS) on Wednesday announced a candidate for the ensuing Erode East by-election, expelled leader O Panneerselvam (OPS) fielded his candidate in the name of the party.

EPS was the first to announce his candidate–former MLA KS Thennarasu – in the morning following which OPS held a press conference in Chennai at 5pm to announce T Senthilmurugan as his candidate.

However, OPS said, “If we get confirmed information that the BJP is fielding a candidate, then we will withdraw our candidate.” He had previously said that their support is for AIADMK ally BJP and if the saffron party wants to contest, he wouldn’t field a candidate. The BJP has been non-committal and has steered clear of AIADMK’s feuding leaders.

EPS’ close aide and MLA SP Velumani announced their party candidate Thennarasu after inaugurating their election working office in the Erode East constituency. Thennarasu had won this seat in the 2016 assembly elections in which the AIADMK secured a second straight term under late J Jayalalithaa.

OPS described his candidate Senthilmurugan as a serious loyalist of the AIADMK.

Both the factions announced their candidates a day after Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai said the party is not keen in contesting the bypoll and that their focus is on the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. “We will announce our stand (on supporting AIADMK candidate) in a day or two,” Annamalai had said on Tuesday.

The confusion and chaos in the AIADMK prevails even as two cases on this are pending in the Supreme Court. OPS had first moved the top court challenging a Madras high court order, which approved the AIADMK’s general council meeting last year where EPS was elected as the interim general secretary and OPS was expelled. The party decided to abolish the dual leadership posts of OPS as coordinator and EPS as joint coordinator, which came into existence in 2017 and was solidified by amending AIADMK’s by-law in December 2021.

While this case is pending, EPS on Friday filed an urgent petition in the Supreme Court seeking a direction to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to recognise him as AIADMK’s interim general secretary. The case is coming up for hearing on February 3. This was necessitated since the ECI requires the signatures of EPS and OPS for a candidate to contest under AIADMK’s two-leaf symbol.

When asked about the risk of the symbol being frozen because of the infighting, OPS stuck to his claim that he remains the coordinator of the AIADMK. “My post is valid until 2026. Until today the Election Commission of India recognised me as the coordinator and Thiru Edappadi Palaniswami as the joint coordinator,” said OPS.

On Tuesday, the filing of nominations had begun for the bypoll which was necessitated by the death of sitting MLA Thirumahan Everaa. The DMK-led alliance has fielded his father and former Tamil Nadu Congress chief E V K S Elangovan. The filing of nomination will end on February 7 and the bypoll will be held on February 27. Other parties who have announced their candidates are AIADMK’s breakaway faction Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam and Tamil Nadu’s third largest party, the Naam Tamizhar Katchi.