AIADMK internal polls to party positions announced

A statement from the party headquarters announced that the organisational polls will be conducted from December 13 to December 23 and the nomination papers for the aspirants will be available from December 3. The party also appointed former minister C Ponnaiyan and former deputy speaker Pollachi Jayaraman as the poll commissioners. 

The statement issued by party coordinator O Panneerselvam and Edappadi K Palaniswami directed the district secretaries to collect the poll materials, forms and declaration certificates well in advance of the polls from party headquarters.

Political pundits see the move as a step forward by the dual leadership OPS and EPS to strengthen the positions of coordinator and joint coordinator in the party. In the wake of ousted AIADMK leader V K Sasikala challenging the AIADMK leadership through legal petitions, the organisational polls assume further significance.

As per the constitution of AIADMK, the party should hold elections for party internal posts once in five years. It may be noted that the AIADMK had amended it's bye-laws giving the primary members to elect their leaders, including the party coordinator and joint coordinator through a single vote system.

The AIADMK had recently issued fresh and renewed membership cards for the party workers and only those with new and renewed cards will be entitled to participate in the party internal polls.