S. Suryamoorthi, a resident of Kallathupatty in Dindigul district, who claims to be a member of the AIADMK, has represented to the Election Commission (EC) that the symbol of ‘Two Leaves’ should not be allotted to [candidates proposed by the party general secretary] Edappadi K. Palaniswami during the Lok Sabha election during the pendency of four civil suits filed by him.
Mr. Suryamoorthi has stated that since 2017, he had sent several petitions to the Election Commission but has not receive any reply. Meanwhile, he has also moved the Madras High Court with a writ petition, seeking a direction of the Court to the EC to inquire into this matter.
On March 7, 2024 the EC sent a communication to the party general secretary, seeking comments on the petition.
It may be recalled that the ‘Two Leaves’ symbol was frozen by the EC in March 2017, after a power struggle broke out within the party soon after former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, passed away in December 2016. The symbol was then allotted to the Edappadi K. Palaniswami--O. Panneerselvam combine by the EC in November 2017. The AIADMK, in March 2023, announced that Mr. Palaniswami was elected unopposed as its general secretary, after the Madras High Court rejected all interim applications filed by the party’s expelled leaders, O. Panneerselvam, P.H. Manoj Pandian, R. Vaithilingam and J.C.D. Prabhakar
