AIADMK sacks four district secretaries close to TTV Dinakaran

Sidelined AIADMK leader T T V Dhinakaran after winning the RK Nagar constituency bypoll, in Chennai on Sunday. (Source: PTI)

A day after the RK Nagar bypoll debacle, the AIADMK on Monday sacked four district secretaries and five senior party functionaries for allegedly supporting rebel leader TTV Dinakaran.

The decision to strip leaders of their posts was taken at a high-level party meeting to discuss AIADMK’s performance in the bypoll.  The AIADMK also urged the Election Commission to probe the alleged poll violations committed during the RK Nagar bypoll.

On Sunday, AIADMK’s E Madhusudhanan lost to Dinakaran, who contested as an independent, by a margin of over 40,000 votes in the RK Nagar bypoll. Speaking to reporters in Madurai after claiming the seat that fell vacant after the death of J Jayalalithaa, Dinakaran said, “We are the true AIADMK… the people of RK Nagar have elected Amma’s successor.”

Dinakaran described the win as “the best gift for the 1.5 crore party supporters” on the 30th death anniversary of the party’s founder M G Ramachandran, popularly known as MGR.

Reacting to Dinakaran’s comments, Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam today said: “Whatever TTV Dhinakaran says are nothing but lies. He himself told us that he is a big 420.”