With intense competition among ruling AIADMK functionaries wishing to contest in the by-poll in Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagar, the party’s Parliamentary Board is scheduled to meet at the party head office here on Thursday.
“Applications have been received for contesting the by-poll on behalf of the AIADMK. The party’s Parliamentary Board would meet tomorrow [Thursday] and take a decision,” party co-ordinator and Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam said in Thanjavur on Wednesday.
Incidentally, on Wednesday posters were pasted on many public walls in the city featuring the name of N. Balaganga, a former MP and key aspirant for the ticket, urging people to vote for ‘Two Leaves’. The posters prominently carried the images of Mr. Panneerselvam and party co-coordinator and Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami.
The Parliamentary Board meeting is likely to be stormy as over 30 applications have been received from ticket aspirants, which included several heavy weights, including some former Ministers.
Party presidium chairman and member of the Parliamentary Board E. Madhusudanan, who was in the fray in R.K. Nagar in the rescinded by-polls as the candidate of the then AIADMK Puratchi Thalaivi Amma in March, has also submitted his application seeking a ticket.
When asked why there was still a delay on the part of AIADMK to decide on its candidate even after getting its ‘Two Leaves’ symbol, while its arch rival DMK and dissident leader T.T.V. Dhinakaran have already announced their candidates, a senior leader said, “There has been some communication gap. But, on Thursday, the party’s parliamentary board would meet and take a decision.”
Meanwhile, supporters of Mr. Dhinakaran confirmed his candidature for the by-poll. “Our leader Mr. Dhinakaran would contest from R.K. Nagar,” disqualified MLA P. Vetrivel said. Earlier in the day, Mr Dhinakaran met his aunt V.K. Sasikala at the Parappana Agrahara Prison and later told journalists that he would seek the ‘Hat’ symbol, which was allotted to him as a candidate of the AIADMK (Amma).