Representation to withhold ‘Two Leaves’ from AIADMK will be disposed of in a week, ECI assures court

CHENNAI: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has assured the Madras High Court that it will dispose of the representation demanding that the 'Two Leaves' symbol be withheld from AIADMK, responding to a petition seeking action over the issue.

A division bench of Justice R Subramanian and Justice C Kumarappan heard a petition filed by S Surya Moorthi from Dindigul, seeking to direct the ECI to take action on his representation regarding the allocation of 'Two Leaves' symbol to AIADMK.

The standing counsel for ECI, Niranjan Rajagopalan, submitted that the petitioner's representation will be considered and disposed of within a week. After the submission, the bench posted the matter to December 2 for further submission.

The litigant contented that from 2017 to 2022, he lodged various complaints before the ECI regarding the AIADMK internal issue and the allotment of the 'Two Leaves' symbol. However, the commission failed to take any action, he said.

The litigant alleged that after the demise of the late Chief Minister and general secretary of AIADMK J Jayalalithaa, the party is functioning in a dictatorial manner against the rules and regulations of the party. He had filed various civil suits over the issue, which are still pending before the city civil court, said the litigant.

The ECI should not allocate the 'Two Leaves' symbol to AIADMK or any other factions, till the disposal of the pending civil suits, contended the litigant.