Announce poll for AIADMK general secretary's post: former MP

The AIADMK faction led by acting Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam should soon announce the election schedule to elect General Secretary for the party, said a former party MP on Saturday.

"It is not sufficient to declare V.K. Sasikala's election as party General Secretary by the general council invalid. The anti-Sasikala camp has to come out with an advertisement announcing the election schedule for electing the new General Secretary," K.C. Palaniswamy a former AIADMK Member of Parliament (MP) said.

AIADMK's former Presidium Chairman E. Madhusudanan on Friday said he had sent a petition to the Election Commission not to recognise V.K. Sasikala as General Secretary of Tamil Nadu's ruling party.

Speaking to reporters here, Madhusudanan, now in acting Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam's camp, said: "As per the party by-law, a person can become General Secretary of AIADMK only if he/she is a member for a continuous period of five years."

Madhusudanan said Sasikala was not a party member for a continuous five years and hence she was not qualified to be the General Secretary.

In December 2016, after then Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa's death, Sasikala was elected the General Secretary at a General Council meeting of the AIADMK.

Incidentally Palaniswamy in January had sent his petition to Election Commission not to recognise Sasikala as AIADMK's General Secretary and declare her election as void.

"If Panneerselvam or Madhusudanan make an announcement for the election of General Secretary then the issue would certainly turn in his favour as the cadres are against Sasikala," Palaniswamy said.

He said once the election schedule is announced then the legislators supporting Sasikala housed in a beach resort would rush back to their respective constituencies.