AIADMK expels 16 party functionaries for filing nomination against party candidates in urban polls

The main opposition AIADMK in Tamil Nadu has expelled 16 party functionaries in various districts for filing nomination as rebels against party candidates for the February 19 urban local body polls.

A joint statement from AIADMK chief coordinator, O. Panneerselvam, and coordinator E.K. Palaniswami, said that these functionaries have been removed from the primary membership of the party for anti-party activities.

Party functionaries and district-level leaders from Chengalpattu, Chennai, Dindigul, Thanjavur and Nilgiris districts have been removed from the primary membership of the party for contesting against official party candidates.

The AIADMK leadership also said that eight functionaries of the party were stripped off their posts on charges of campaigning for other party candidates instead of AIADMK nominees.

With the urban local body elections approaching, the DMK and the AIADMK are engaged in a bitter war of words to create an impression among the public.

NEET had taken the centre stage instead of locally relevant issues after Tamil Nadu Governor, R.N. Ravi, resent the Bill passed by the state Assembly against NEET. The Assembly was convened again on February 8 to pass the Bill with the BJP walking out of the House.

The DMK is expecting an easy victory in the polls after registering convincing wins in the 2019 general elections, 2020 rural local body polls, 2021 Assembly elections, and 2021 rural local body polls in nine new districts of the state.

The AIADMK, however, is not a spent force and the voting percentage difference between the two Dravidian majors is not much, hence there will be a stiff fight in several constituencies in the urban polls.

D. Jayakumar, former minister and AIADMK organising secretary, told IANS, "AIADMK is a political party which does not tolerate anti-party activities and we were prompt in the decision to expel those functionaries who worked against party interests. The urban local body polls are the barometer of the nine-month-old DMK government and AIADMK is certain to win the elections even though the ruling front is playing all sorts of tricks to scuttle that victory."