Madhusudhanan wins 1st round, earns ticket for RK Nagar bypoll

AIADMK presidium chairman E Madhusudhanan emerged victorious in the first round battle to secure the poll ticket for the RK Nagar bypoll after about two hours of intense debate and a walkout by another ticket aspirant N Balaganga in the party’s parliamentary board meeting on Thursday.

With all the three contestants Marudhu Ganesh (DMK), Madhusudhanan and TTV Dinakaran returning to the ring, the poll scene is likely to be a replay of the elections cancelled in April.

Party co-ordinator O Panneerselvam and joint co-ordinator Edappadi K Palaniswami in a joint statement said that Madhusudhanan was selected unanimously as the candidate for the December 21 bypoll, in what is seen as a major boost for the deputy Chief Minister’s supporters after the retrieval of the ‘Two Leaves’ symbol.

The first criteria for selecting Madhusudhanan is the winnability factor since he is a well-known face in the constituency for the last three decades, a party functionary said. He had contested in the seat as a nominee of the Jayalalithaa faction in 1989 Assembly elections and won from the same seat in the 1991 Assembly elections to become a minister. Besides, the Election Commission had allocated the ‘Two Leaves’ symbol in the name of Madhusudhanan and he has the authority to sign the nomination form on behalf of the party.

In the statement, they also announced that Madhusudhanan would file his nomination papers on December 1 and asked the cadre to show their support by coming in large numbers during the occasion.

They said Chennai North MP TG Venkatest Babu has been appointed election in-charge for the seat.

Sidelined leader TTV Dinakaran on Thursday sprang a surprise by moving a petition against the Election Commission’s verdict of allocating ‘Two Leaves’ to the ruling AIADMK in the Delhi High Court against expectations that he would file his plea in the Supreme Court.