Chennai: The Election Commission (EC) of India on Friday said T.T.V. Dinakaran, deputy general secretary of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), is not authorized to respond to the EC’s notice.
He had responded to an EC notice after former Tamil Nadu chief minister O. Panneerselvam’s faction of the party questioned the legality of the appointment of V.K. Sasikala as AIADMK general secretary.
“(In this regard), it is stated that Dinakaran is not an office-bearer of your party as per the commission’s record. Communications from the party should be signed by an authorized office-bearer. Hence, the reply should either be submitted under your (Sasikala’s) own signature or you may duly authorize somebody to do so on your behalf. This may be submitted latest by 10.03.2017,” said Pramod Kumar Sharma, secretary, EC, in a communication to Sasikala, who is currently lodged at the Parappana Agrahara prison in Bengaluru.
A petition was filed by Rajya Sabha member of Parliament V. Maitreyan from the Panneerselvam camp, stating that Sasikala’s appointment as general secretary of the AIADMK was against the constitutional bylaws of the party.
Following this, the EC sent a notice to Sasikala on 17 February asking her to respond by 28 February. A reply from the Sasikala camp signed by Dinakaran was sent to the election watchdog on Tuesday.
The AIADMK defended the appointment on the grounds that the general council of the party had the authority to do so.
Just hours before leaving for Bengaluru prison, following her conviction in a disproportionate assets case, Sasikala appointed nephew Dinakaran as deputy general secretary of the party on 15 February.
