NEW DELHI : The Election Commission has sent a notice to AIADMK leader V K Sasikala in the Bengaluru jail on her self-appointment as interim general secretary of the party subsequent to the death of former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa.
Sasikala is lodged in jail since after the Supreme Court held her and her two relatives guilty of amassing disproportionate assets and restored the trial court’s punishment of four years’ jail.
The notice seeking her response by February 28 has been issued on the basis of two petitions filed before the EC by a dozen party MPs led by Dr V Maitreyan, a Rajya Sabha member, challenging her usurpation of the post without proper process of election. They want to be recognised as the real AIADMK. She has been asked to reply to these petitions by February 28, “failing which it will be presumed that you have no comments to offer and the Commission will take appropriate action in the matter.”
The petitions say Sasikala was not elected as per the party constitution and hence the EC should not recognise her as such.
The MPs, who approached the EC, belong to former Chief Minister Panneerselvam’s camp. They want to carry on the fight to recognise their group led by Panneerselvam as the real AIADMK.
“We shall continue our fight as the real AIADMK despite victory of Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanisamy, nominee of Sasikala for the post, in the trust vote in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Saturday,” a party leader said.
