The Election Commission (EC) on Thursday allotted the 'Hat' symbol to AIADMK General Secretary in-charge Sasikala Natarajan's camp and the 'Electricity Poll' symbol to former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam's camp. The Sasikala camp had asked for the 'Hat' symbol instead of the 'Auto Rickshaw' symbol, which was allotted to them earlier.
The EC has also given separate names to the two factions of the AIADMK — 'AIADMK Puratchi Thalavai Amma' to Panneerselvam's camp and 'AIADMK Amma' to Sasikala's camp. The move comes ahead of the RK Nagar by-polls scheduled to be held on April 12. RK Nagar is the constituency from where former Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa contested the elections. The seat fell vacant after her death in December 2016.
Sasikala's camp had previously submitted to the EC its new party name 'AIADMK Amma' along with three options for the party symbol — 'Auto Rickshaw', 'Hat' and 'Cap'. The move came after the panel froze the AIADMK Party's official symbol of 'Two Leaves', prohibiting both factions from using it in the upcoming by-polls in Chennai's RK Nagar constituency.
Both factions had staked claim to the 'Two Leaves' symbol. The EC froze it and barred them from using the symbol since the final resolution of the dispute is still pending. "Both the groups shall be known by such names as they may choose for their respective groups, showing, if they so desire, linkage with their parent party ... and both the groups shall also be allotted different symbols as they may choose from the list of free symbols notified by the Election Commission for the purpose of the byelection," the EC order had stated.
However, M Thambidurai from Sasikala's camp told reporters that the "hat symbol is temporary" and that the "two leaves symbol is going to come back" to them. The EC had also asked both factions to suggest three symbols each that they would like to use as election symbols.
Both factions expressed shock over the EC ruling. AIADMK Deputy General Secretary TTV Dinakaran of the Sasikala camp described the ruling as "unexpected" and said that he would get the poll symbol of "Two Leaves" back by winning the RK Nagar by-polls. Dinakaran also said that they would either move the Madras High Court or the Supreme Court to challenge the EC ruling.
Panneerselvam also released a statement saying that the EC ruling was "shocking and disappointing" and that his party was not given the symbol despite having submitted "strong evidence" to the poll panel. Panneerselvam also added that they would get the "Two Leaves" symbol back "at any cost".
