<p>Nineteen AIADMK MLAs supporting Dinakaran met the Tamil Nadu Governor C Vidyasagar Rao at the Raj Bhawan on Tuesday and demanded a trust vote.</p>

<p>They said they have no confidence in the Tamil Nadu chief minister&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">We(Dinakaran supporting 19 MLAs) have no confidence in TN CM, want a trust vote.Conveyed this to Governor: Thanga Tamil Selvan,AIADMK MLA <a href="https://t.co/7AUlnIkf2X">pic.twitter.com/7AUlnIkf2X</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/899887828145811456">August 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>DMK chief M K Stalin said three more AIADMK MLAs have withdrawn support taking the figure to 22.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;We demand a trust vote&quot;, Stalin told ANI.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">My information is that 3 more <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AIADMK?src=hash">#AIADMK</a> MLAs have also withdrawn support,that makes it 22 MLAs in total.We demand a trust vote:MK Stalin <a href="https://t.co/tbGJwhKS6f">pic.twitter.com/tbGJwhKS6f</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/899890430870929408">August 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>The two factions of the AIADMK had announced their merger yesterday, with O Panneerselvam being sworn in as deputy chief minister.</p>

<p><meta charset="utf-8" /></p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Visuals?src=hash">#Visuals</a> TTV <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Dinakaran?src=hash">#Dinakaran</a> supporting 19 MLAs arrive at Raj Bhawan to meet TN Governor C Vidyasagar Rao <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AIADMKMerger?src=hash">#AIADMKMerger</a> <a href="https://t.co/IUzeCPOVft">pic.twitter.com/IUzeCPOVft</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/899853670820360193">August 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>One of Panneerselvam&#39;s preconditions for the merger was the removal of party supremo Sasikala and her family members from the AIADMK.</p>

<p>Dinakaran is Sasikala&#39;s nephew.</p>

<p>Should Dinakaran breakaway it is possible that it will upset the AIADMK&rsquo;s majority in the state assembly.</p>


DMK chief ?M K Stalin said three more AIADMK MLAs have withdrawn support taking the figure to 22

Nineteen AIADMK MLAs supporting Dinakaran met the Tamil Nadu Governor C Vidyasagar Rao at the Raj Bhawan on Tuesday and demanded a trust vote. They said they have no confidence in the Tamil Nadu chief minister We(Dinakaran supporting 19 MLAs) have no confidence in TN CM, want a trust vote.Conveyed this to Governor: Thanga Tamil Selvan,AIADMK MLA pic.twitter.com/7AUlnIkf2X — ANI (@ANI) August 22, 2017 × DMK chief M K Stalin said three more AIADMK MLAs have withdrawn support taking the figure to 22. "We demand a trust vote", Stalin told ANI. My information is that 3 more #AIADMK MLAs have also withdrawn support,that makes it 22 MLAs in total.We demand a trust vote:MK Stalin pic.twitter.com/tbGJwhKS6f — ANI (@ANI) August 22, 2017 × The two factions of the AIADMK had announced their merger yesterday, with O Panneerselvam being sworn in as deputy chief minister. #Visuals TTV #Dinakaran supporting 19 MLAs arrive at Raj Bhawan to meet TN Governor C Vidyasagar Rao #AIADMKMerger pic.twitter.com/IUzeCPOVft — ANI (@ANI) August 22, 2017 × One of Panneerselvam's preconditions for the merger was the removal of party supremo Sasikala and her family members from the AIADMK. Dinakaran is Sasikala's nephew. Should Dinakaran breakaway it is possible that it will upset the AIADMK’s majority in the state assembly.

AIADMK merger: MLAs supporting Dinakaran, DMK demand trust vote

<p>AIADMK (Amma) faction leader T T V Dhinakaran was sent to five-day police custody by a Delhi court in the alleged Election Commission bribery case.&nbsp;</p>

<p>After four days of questioning, T T V Dinakaran was arrested last night by Delhi Police for allegedly attempting to bribe an Election Commission official to get the undivided AIADMK&#39;s &#39;two leaves&#39; election symbol for his faction.<br />
<br />
Dinakaran reached the Crime Branch Inter State Cell office in Chanakyapuri at 5pm&nbsp;on Tuesday. He was arrested after being questioned for close to six hours, Praveer Ranjan, joint commissioner of police (crime), said.<br />
<br />
His longtime friend Mallikarjuna was also arrested for allegedly facilitating the deal between the leader and Sukesh Chandrasekar, the middleman in the EC bribery case, after being quizzed for the second day on the trot, he said.<br />
<br />
Mallikarjuna had been accompanying Dinakaran everywhere ever since Chandrasekar was arrested on April 16 for allegedly striking a deal of Rs 50 crore to help the AIADMK (Amma) faction keep the poll symbol.<br />
<br />
Dinakaran, Mallikarjuna and Chandrasekar were to be&nbsp;questioned together to establish the money trail, details of the deal and whether more people were involved in it.&nbsp;Sources said that Dinakaran&#39;s PA Janardhana has agreed to be a witness in the case.<br />
<br />
Dinakaran had yesterday confessed to meeting Chandrasekar, assuming he was a High Court judge. He had, however, denied that he paid money to the middleman for retaining the party&#39;s poll symbol.<br />
<br />
The controversial AIADMK leader, who had come under the scanner after the arrest of Chandrasekar, had maintained that he never met him.&nbsp;He was earlier summoned by Delhi Police at his Chennai residence in the case.<br />
<br />
Earlier in the day, the police produced Chandrasekar before a special court, which extended his custody till April 28.<br />
<br />
The court was told that Chandrasekar had been paid through hawala channels.<br />
<br />
&quot;A person named Shah Faisal told that he had collected a parcel from Chennai and gave it to Chandrasekar, who had posed as a member of Parliament,&quot; the police said.&nbsp;It is suspected that the parcel contained Rs 10 crore.<br />
<br />
The police said three Chandni Chowk-based hawala operators will also be questioned in connection with the case.<br />
<br />
Dinakaran, who was appointed deputy general secretary by AIADMK chief V S Sasikala, has been isolated in his party amid moves to merge rival factions led by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister EK Palaniswami and his predecessor O Panneerselvam.<br />
<br />
A powerful section of the ruling AIADMK (Amma) recently revolted against the Sasikala-Dinakaran leadership. The development came after Panneerselvam, who is leading the rival faction, demanded ouster of Sasikala and Dinakaran as a condition for merger talks.</p>

<p>(PTI)</p>


AIADMK (Amma) leader TTV Dinakaran was incarcerated for allegedly trying to bribe a government official to get the official party symbol

AIADMK (Amma) faction leader T T V Dhinakaran was sent to five-day police custody by a Delhi court in the alleged Election Commission bribery case. After four days of questioning, T T V Dinakaran was arrested last night by Delhi Police for allegedly attempting to bribe an Election Commission official to get the undivided AIADMK's 'two leaves' election symbol for his faction. Dinakaran reached the Crime Branch Inter State Cell office in Chanakyapuri at 5pm on Tuesday. He was arrested after being questioned for close to six hours, Praveer Ranjan, joint commissioner of police (crime), said. His longtime friend Mallikarjuna was also arrested for allegedly facilitating the deal between the leader and Sukesh Chandrasekar, the middleman in the EC bribery case, after being quizzed for the second day on the trot, he said. Mallikarjuna had been accompanying Dinakaran everywhere ever since Chandrasekar was arrested on April 16 for allegedly striking a deal of Rs 50 crore to help the AIADMK (Amma) faction keep the poll symbol. Dinakaran, Mallikarjuna and Chandrasekar were to be questioned together to establish the money trail, details of the deal and whether more people were involved in it. Sources said that Dinakaran's PA Janardhana has agreed to be a witness in the case. Dinakaran had yesterday confessed to meeting Chandrasekar, assuming he was a High Court judge. He had, however, denied that he paid money to the middleman for retaining the party's poll symbol. The controversial AIADMK leader, who had come under the scanner after the arrest of Chandrasekar, had maintained that he never met him. He was earlier summoned by Delhi Police at his Chennai residence in the case. Earlier in the day, the police produced Chandrasekar before a special court, which extended his custody till April 28. The court was told that Chandrasekar had been paid through hawala channels. "A person named Shah Faisal told that he had collected a parcel from Chennai and gave it to Chandrasekar, who had posed as a member of Parliament," the police said. It is suspected that the parcel contained Rs 10 crore. The police said three Chandni Chowk-based hawala operators will also be questioned in connection with the case. Dinakaran, who was appointed deputy general secretary by AIADMK chief V S Sasikala, has been isolated in his party amid moves to merge rival factions led by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister EK Palaniswami and his predecessor O Panneerselvam. A powerful section of the ruling AIADMK (Amma) recently revolted against the Sasikala-Dinakaran leadership. The development came after Panneerselvam, who is leading the rival faction, demanded ouster of Sasikala and Dinakaran as a condition for merger talks. (PTI)

Court sends Dinakaran to five-day police custody in party symbol bribery case

<p>All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) deputy general secretary TTV&nbsp;Dinakaran arrived in New Delhi on Saturday&nbsp;to appear before the police in a case involving bribing of an Election Commission official to get the &quot;two-leaves&quot;&nbsp;symbol for his faction.</p>

<p>On Thursday, a team of the crime branch of the Delhi Police&nbsp;reached Chennai and served a notice, asking him to join the probe. The Delhi Police had issued a lookout notice against the leader on Tuesday.</p>

<p>The police had arrested and sent Sukesh Chandrashekhar to custody for allegedly striking a deal of Rs&nbsp;50 crore to help the Dinakaran faction to keep the &quot;two leaves&quot;&nbsp;poll symbol. The Crime Branch recovered approximately Rs&nbsp;1.3 crore and two luxury cars, a BMW and a Mercedes, from Chandrashekhar. Chandrasekhar was arrested from the Hyatt hotel and was produced at the residence of Special Judge Poonam Chaudhry, who allowed the Delhi Police&#39;s plea to interrogate the accused for eight days.</p>

<p>Dinakaran was also named as an accused in the FIR, filed by the Delhi Police Crime Branch. Dinakaran&#39;s faction contested on the &quot;hat&quot;&nbsp;symbol for the RK Nagar assembly by-polls, after the election commission froze their two leaves symbol while acknowledging the split in the party.The polling was later cancelled by the Election Commission.</p>

<p>(ANI)&nbsp;</p>


Dinakaran faces arrest for illegally trying to obtain the AIADMK's 'two leaves' symbol which has been frozen by the poll body

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) deputy general secretary TTV Dinakaran arrived in New Delhi on Saturday to appear before the police in a case involving bribing of an Election Commission official to get the "two-leaves" symbol for his faction. On Thursday, a team of the crime branch of the Delhi Police reached Chennai and served a notice, asking him to join the probe. The Delhi Police had issued a lookout notice against the leader on Tuesday. The police had arrested and sent Sukesh Chandrashekhar to custody for allegedly striking a deal of Rs 50 crore to help the Dinakaran faction to keep the "two leaves" poll symbol. The Crime Branch recovered approximately Rs 1.3 crore and two luxury cars, a BMW and a Mercedes, from Chandrashekhar. Chandrasekhar was arrested from the Hyatt hotel and was produced at the residence of Special Judge Poonam Chaudhry, who allowed the Delhi Police's plea to interrogate the accused for eight days. Dinakaran was also named as an accused in the FIR, filed by the Delhi Police Crime Branch. Dinakaran's faction contested on the "hat" symbol for the RK Nagar assembly by-polls, after the election commission froze their two leaves symbol while acknowledging the split in the party.The polling was later cancelled by the Election Commission. (ANI)

AIADMK's Dinakaran reaches Delhi, to appear before police in election commission bribery case

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>On December 29, 2016 &ndash; weeks after former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had passed away &ndash; the AIADMK&rsquo;s general council met and passed a resolution handing over the party&rsquo;s leadership responsibility to Jayalalithaa&rsquo;s close confidante V K Sasikala.&nbsp; &ldquo;The general council hands over the party leadership to Chinnamma Sasikala who was with Amma for the last 33 years and has experience in handling the party affairs. In this very important moment in the history of AIADMK, the general council resolves to be faithful to the leadership and give no room for conspiracies by evil forces&rdquo; the resolution read. &ldquo;In Chinnamma, we see our Amma and we would continue to work for the party under her leadership, just as we did under Amma&rsquo;s leadership&rdquo; it further said.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>In less than three months, the state cabinet headed by Chief Minister Edappadi Palanisamy &ndash; incidentally handpicked by Sasikala herself before she went to the Parappana Agraha jail after her conviction in Disproportionate Assets case &ndash; has decided to oust her nephew TTV Dinakaran and his family &ndash; from the party and government affairs. &ldquo;It is in keeping with the wishes of Amma that we have decided not to encourage centralisation of power in the hands of one family&rdquo;, state ministers say.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<h5>The story of the rise and fall of Sasikala&rsquo;s family over three decades is perhaps a lesson in the quintessential ruthlessness of politics.</h5>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>The story of the rise and fall of Sasikala&rsquo;s family over three decades is perhaps a lesson in the quintessential ruthlessness of politics.&nbsp; From being an extra-constitutional authority in the country&rsquo;s third largest party for about three decades to being reduced to its expelled members, Sasikala&rsquo;s and her family&rsquo;s story &ndash; is a potboiler of devotion inspired by fear and loyalty inspired by power. Appointed as deputy general secretary by his aunt Sasikala to fill in for her absence, Dinakaran was perhaps not hoping for a political journey without any glitches but he was certainly not expecting a coup d&#39;&eacute;tat from his own party men, most of whom had remained his hardcore loyalists till recently.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>For the handful of office-bearers, who still remain loyal to Dinakaran &ndash; the BJP, indisputably, has a role in all the commotion happening in the party. Many opine that BJP is trying to gain a foothold in the state by weakening the AIADMK and bringing it under its tacit control. But whether the BJP will be able to gain anything long term out of this confusion in the AIADMK remains a million dollar question.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>With its strong Dravidian roots, Tamil Nadu has essentially remained a state where the BJP is still struggling hard to make inroads. Despite its clout elsewhere, the BJP could manage to win a few seats only in alliance with either of the Dravidian majors. As recently as last year, the BJP could not win a single seat when it faced the Assembly elections almost alone. Even when a Modi wave swept across the country in 2014 Parliamentary elections, Tamil Nadu coldly remained untouched by it &ndash; winning just one seat in alliance with parties like the DMDK, PMK and MDMK.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<h5>Over the next four years, the BJP might be able to manipulate the ruling AIADMK government to suit its interests in the state.</h5>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>The BJP perhaps hopes to break this jinx. There perhaps couldn&rsquo;t be a more opportune moment to strengthen itself in the state than now. After all, AIADMK known for its military discipline until Jayalalithaa was around is in tatters. There would be no single leader to ride herd on the AIADMK, strange as it might sound, for a party never known to step out of line. The leaders have come up with the suggestion of forming a committee to guide the party and government in future, but whether it is feasible in the long run for a party used to monolithic leadership since its inception is anybody&rsquo;s guess.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Also, Dinakaran&rsquo;s exit from the party wouldn&rsquo;t mean an end to its problems. In fact, without a single leadership in place, more troubles might be brewing for the party. That includes possible power struggles between two factions after the merger. It is precisely this scenario that BJP perhaps hopes to take advantage of.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>But observers say the BJP&nbsp;can just about manage to use this confusion to their favor in the upcoming presidential elections and Rajya Sabha elections. Over the next four years, the BJP might be able to manipulate the ruling AIADMK government to suit its interests in the state. It may be recalled that the state government had towed the Centre&rsquo;s line on many issues that the former chief minister had vehemently opposed when she was alive. This may well continue and more so over the next four years, with the BJP&rsquo;s attempts to lord it over the now weakened AIADMK.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>But whether this would be converted into public support and votes, in the long run, is anybody&rsquo;s guess. For now, in the eyes of a common man, Dinakaran has gained an edge, however small, by deciding to exit instead of toppling the government as was expected. The social media that went gaga over O Paneerselvam&rsquo;s protest now is now using its other edge of the sword and accusing him of being BJP&rsquo;s minion. Clearly, Paneerselvam does not enjoy the same public support that he had enjoyed in the immediate aftermath of his revolt against Sasikala early February.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>With the kind of money and muscle power they are said to have, Dinakaran and Sasikala, will be hoping that after all the Sturm und Drang, the party will come back to them. Perhaps an unexpected denouement to this long drawn political drama might eventually unfold itself, yet again in Poes Garden. &nbsp;</p>


Arguably, BJP is trying to gain a foothold in the state by weakening the AIADMK and bringing it under its tacit control.

On December 29, 2016 – weeks after former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had passed away – the AIADMK’s general council met and passed a resolution handing over the party’s leadership responsibility to Jayalalithaa’s close confidante V K Sasikala. “The general council hands over the party leadership to Chinnamma Sasikala who was with Amma for the last 33 years and has experience in handling the party affairs. In this very important moment in the history of AIADMK, the general council resolves to be faithful to the leadership and give no room for conspiracies by evil forces” the resolution read. “In Chinnamma, we see our Amma and we would continue to work for the party under her leadership, just as we did under Amma’s leadership” it further said. In less than three months, the state cabinet headed by Chief Minister Edappadi Palanisamy – incidentally handpicked by Sasikala herself before she went to the Parappana Agraha jail after her conviction in Disproportionate Assets case – has decided to oust her nephew TTV Dinakaran and his family – from the party and government affairs. “It is in keeping with the wishes of Amma that we have decided not to encourage centralisation of power in the hands of one family”, state ministers say. The story of the rise and fall of Sasikala’s family over three decades is perhaps a lesson in the quintessential ruthlessness of politics. × The story of the rise and fall of Sasikala’s family over three decades is perhaps a lesson in the quintessential ruthlessness of politics. From being an extra-constitutional authority in the country’s third largest party for about three decades to being reduced to its expelled members, Sasikala’s and her family’s story – is a potboiler of devotion inspired by fear and loyalty inspired by power. Appointed as deputy general secretary by his aunt Sasikala to fill in for her absence, Dinakaran was perhaps not hoping for a political journey without any glitches but he was certainly not expecting a coup d'état from his own party men, most of whom had remained his hardcore loyalists till recently. For the handful of office-bearers, who still remain loyal to Dinakaran – the BJP, indisputably, has a role in all the commotion happening in the party. Many opine that BJP is trying to gain a foothold in the state by weakening the AIADMK and bringing it under its tacit control. But whether the BJP will be able to gain anything long term out of this confusion in the AIADMK remains a million dollar question. With its strong Dravidian roots, Tamil Nadu has essentially remained a state where the BJP is still struggling hard to make inroads. Despite its clout elsewhere, the BJP could manage to win a few seats only in alliance with either of the Dravidian majors. As recently as last year, the BJP could not win a single seat when it faced the Assembly elections almost alone. Even when a Modi wave swept across the country in 2014 Parliamentary elections, Tamil Nadu coldly remained untouched by it – winning just one seat in alliance with parties like the DMDK, PMK and MDMK. Over the next four years, the BJP might be able to manipulate the ruling AIADMK government to suit its interests in the state. × The BJP perhaps hopes to break this jinx. There perhaps couldn’t be a more opportune moment to strengthen itself in the state than now. After all, AIADMK known for its military discipline until Jayalalithaa was around is in tatters. There would be no single leader to ride herd on the AIADMK, strange as it might sound, for a party never known to step out of line. The leaders have come up with the suggestion of forming a committee to guide the party and government in future, but whether it is feasible in the long run for a party used to monolithic leadership since its inception is anybody’s guess. Also, Dinakaran’s exit from the party wouldn’t mean an end to its problems. In fact, without a single leadership in place, more troubles might be brewing for the party. That includes possible power struggles between two factions after the merger. It is precisely this scenario that BJP perhaps hopes to take advantage of. But observers say the BJP can just about manage to use this confusion to their favor in the upcoming presidential elections and Rajya Sabha elections. Over the next four years, the BJP might be able to manipulate the ruling AIADMK government to suit its interests in the state. It may be recalled that the state government had towed the Centre’s line on many issues that the former chief minister had vehemently opposed when she was alive. This may well continue and more so over the next four years, with the BJP’s attempts to lord it over the now weakened AIADMK. But whether this would be converted into public support and votes, in the long run, is anybody’s guess. For now, in the eyes of a common man, Dinakaran has gained an edge, however small, by deciding to exit instead of toppling the government as was expected. The social media that went gaga over O Paneerselvam’s protest now is now using its other edge of the sword and accusing him of being BJP’s minion. Clearly, Paneerselvam does not enjoy the same public support that he had enjoyed in the immediate aftermath of his revolt against Sasikala early February. With the kind of money and muscle power they are said to have, Dinakaran and Sasikala, will be hoping that after all the Sturm und Drang, the party will come back to them. Perhaps an unexpected denouement to this long drawn political drama might eventually unfold itself, yet again in Poes Garden.

Is this really the BJP?s moment in Tamil Nadu?

<p>AIADMK AMMA deputy general secretary TTV Dinakaran has called a meeting of his party MLAs at 3 pm today.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Dinakaran is the nephew of the party&#39;s general secretary VK Sasikala, who is currently in jail after she was found guilty in a disproportionate assets case. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Dinakaran and Sasikala were ousted earlier from the party, with Tamil Nadu finance minister D Jayakumar saying they had been &quot;delinked&quot;. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>The demand for the duo&#39;s ouster had come from former chief minister O Panneerselvam, who had earlier been unseated from the chief ministership by Sasikala.&nbsp;</p>

<p>His faction of the party and the one headed by current chief minister&nbsp;E Palaniswamy had been discussing a merger of the two factions.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Both factions will talk to fulfil the aspirations of lakhs of party workers: O Panneerselvam <a href="https://t.co/RFB8EYgeQi">pic.twitter.com/RFB8EYgeQi</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/854584666384244739">April 19, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>The EPS (E Palaniswamy) faction is reportedly keen on a merger with the OPS (Panneerselvam) faction.&nbsp;</p>

<p>This is reportedly because of the string of bad luck the EPS faction has been hit by.</p>

<p>The faction&#39;s (former) supremo VK Sasikala is in jail.</p>

<p>The Delhi Police has filed charges against her nephew Dinakaran, accusing him of trying to bribe an Election Commission (EC) official to hand over the party&#39;s former &quot;two leaves&quot; symbol to his faction.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The two leaves symbol is well recognised in Tamil Nadu, and both factions reportedly believe the party would do better if it fought under that banner rather than under the new symbols the EC has given the two factions.</p>

<p>The EPS faction has been given a hat as its symbol, the OPS faction an electric pole.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Some AIADMK MLAs have rallied around Dinakaran. &nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;Former chief minister O Panneerselvam, while going to Madurai, had said that he was ready for the merger without any conditions, which was acceptable to us. But when he imposed the condition today, we decided not to consider this. We will never accept this condition. Because it was TTV Dinakaran, who gave a new direction to the AIADMK,&quot; ANI reported party AIADMK Amma Nanjil Sampath saying.</p>

<p>He hinted that more MLAs would join the Dinakaran camp, with ANI quoting him as saying, &quot;In the coming two days, the AIADMK will emerge strongly under the leadership of Dinakaran. All party cadres, members and support Dinakaran. All the splitters would join Dinakaran.&quot;</p>

<p>His sentiments were echoed by AIADMK Amma MLA P Vetrivel, whom ANI quoted as saying that they would &quot;never accept the decision&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Dinakaran was quoted as saying his ouster had come about because of &quot;fear&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>O Panneerselvam later said this -- the ouster of Sasikala and Dinakaran -- was his faction&#39;s first victory.&nbsp;</p>

<p>(WION)&nbsp;</p>


Some MLAs have rallied around him, say they will 'never accept the decision'

AIADMK AMMA deputy general secretary TTV Dinakaran has called a meeting of his party MLAs at 3 pm today. Dinakaran is the nephew of the party's general secretary VK Sasikala, who is currently in jail after she was found guilty in a disproportionate assets case. Dinakaran and Sasikala were ousted earlier from the party, with Tamil Nadu finance minister D Jayakumar saying they had been "delinked". The demand for the duo's ouster had come from former chief minister O Panneerselvam, who had earlier been unseated from the chief ministership by Sasikala. His faction of the party and the one headed by current chief minister E Palaniswamy had been discussing a merger of the two factions. Both factions will talk to fulfil the aspirations of lakhs of party workers: O Panneerselvam pic.twitter.com/RFB8EYgeQi — ANI (@ANI_news) April 19, 2017 × The EPS (E Palaniswamy) faction is reportedly keen on a merger with the OPS (Panneerselvam) faction. This is reportedly because of the string of bad luck the EPS faction has been hit by. The faction's (former) supremo VK Sasikala is in jail. The Delhi Police has filed charges against her nephew Dinakaran, accusing him of trying to bribe an Election Commission (EC) official to hand over the party's former "two leaves" symbol to his faction. The two leaves symbol is well recognised in Tamil Nadu, and both factions reportedly believe the party would do better if it fought under that banner rather than under the new symbols the EC has given the two factions. The EPS faction has been given a hat as its symbol, the OPS faction an electric pole. Some AIADMK MLAs have rallied around Dinakaran. "Former chief minister O Panneerselvam, while going to Madurai, had said that he was ready for the merger without any conditions, which was acceptable to us. But when he imposed the condition today, we decided not to consider this. We will never accept this condition. Because it was TTV Dinakaran, who gave a new direction to the AIADMK," ANI reported party AIADMK Amma Nanjil Sampath saying. He hinted that more MLAs would join the Dinakaran camp, with ANI quoting him as saying, "In the coming two days, the AIADMK will emerge strongly under the leadership of Dinakaran. All party cadres, members and support Dinakaran. All the splitters would join Dinakaran." His sentiments were echoed by AIADMK Amma MLA P Vetrivel, whom ANI quoted as saying that they would "never accept the decision". Dinakaran was quoted as saying his ouster had come about because of "fear". O Panneerselvam later said this -- the ouster of Sasikala and Dinakaran -- was his faction's first victory. (WION)

Dinakaran ousted from AIADMK Amma, he calls meeting of party MLAs

<p>The Delhi Police has registered a case against &nbsp;TTV Dinakaran, deputy secretary of Tamil Nadu&#39;s ruling AIADMK for attempting to bribe the Election Commission for the party&#39;s &quot;two leaves&quot; symbol.</p>

<p>The police action against Dinakaran -- nephew of AIADMK chief Sasikala --&nbsp;comes after the arrest of an alleged middleman, Sukesh Chandrasekhar, from the national capital&#39;s Hyatt hotel Sunday night.</p>

<p>Dinkaran has denied the allegations against him.</p>

<p>Delhi Police say at least Rs 1.3 crore has been recovered from Chandrasekhar, and claim he was planning to use the money to bribe Election Commission officials. Police state around Rs 50 crores were to be paid as bribe, a senior police officer told PTI.</p>

<p>&quot;It has been learnt that Sukesh had struck a deal for Rs 50 crore for helping the AIADMK faction keep the &#39;two leaves&#39; symbol. Police have recovered Rs 1.30 crore from Sukesh and two cars -- a BMW and a Mercedes -- have also been seized,&quot; said a senior police officer.</p>

<p>Dinakaran, who is considered to be a close Sasikala aide, will be served notice to join the investigation, police said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Election Commission&nbsp;had cancelled the by-election for Jayalalithaa&#39;s constituency of RK Nagar in Chennai, saying the electoral process had been &quot;seriously vitiated&quot; by parties through use of money power.The poll body has not yet decided on a new date for voting for the election which was originally scheduled for April 12.</p>

<p>The AIADMK&#39;s &quot;two leaves&quot;&nbsp;party symbol had been blocked by the Election Commission last month after rival factions led by Tamil Nadu chief minister K Palaniswamy and former chief minister O Panneerselvam staked claim to it ahead of a by-poll necessitated by the death of former AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa.</p>

<p>The poll body, meanwhile, has not ruled yet on which group is the &quot;real AIADMK&quot; and consequently has the right over the original AIADMK party symbol.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The AIADMK had split into two factions after the death of Jayalalithaa. Her close aide VK Sasikala was named the new party chief but was jailed within weeks after the top court found her guilty in a disproportionate assets case. Sasikala placed Dinakaran in-charge of the party before heading to jail.</p>

<p>The Sasikala faction contested the by-elections on the &quot;hat&quot;&nbsp;symbol after the the two leaves symbol was frozen by the Election Commission, acknowledging the split in the party.</p>

<p>The Delhi police case against Dinakaran comes amid a major crisis in the Tamil Nadu government. A section of ministers have revolted against him and are seeking his resignation as AIADMK deputy general secretary.</p>

<p>Dinakaran, who apparently enjoys the support of 38 MLAs, is likely to bring down the Palaniswami government, in the eventuality of a revolt against him, his confidante was quoted as saying.</p>

<p>(WION with inputs from PTI)<br />
&nbsp;</p>


Dinakaran is accused of trying to get the 'two leaves' poll symbol for his faction of the AIADMK

The Delhi Police has registered a case against TTV Dinakaran, deputy secretary of Tamil Nadu's ruling AIADMK for attempting to bribe the Election Commission for the party's "two leaves" symbol. The police action against Dinakaran -- nephew of AIADMK chief Sasikala -- comes after the arrest of an alleged middleman, Sukesh Chandrasekhar, from the national capital's Hyatt hotel Sunday night. Dinkaran has denied the allegations against him. Delhi Police say at least Rs 1.3 crore has been recovered from Chandrasekhar, and claim he was planning to use the money to bribe Election Commission officials. Police state around Rs 50 crores were to be paid as bribe, a senior police officer told PTI. "It has been learnt that Sukesh had struck a deal for Rs 50 crore for helping the AIADMK faction keep the 'two leaves' symbol. Police have recovered Rs 1.30 crore from Sukesh and two cars -- a BMW and a Mercedes -- have also been seized," said a senior police officer. Dinakaran, who is considered to be a close Sasikala aide, will be served notice to join the investigation, police said. The Election Commission had cancelled the by-election for Jayalalithaa's constituency of RK Nagar in Chennai, saying the electoral process had been "seriously vitiated" by parties through use of money power.The poll body has not yet decided on a new date for voting for the election which was originally scheduled for April 12. The AIADMK's "two leaves" party symbol had been blocked by the Election Commission last month after rival factions led by Tamil Nadu chief minister K Palaniswamy and former chief minister O Panneerselvam staked claim to it ahead of a by-poll necessitated by the death of former AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa. The poll body, meanwhile, has not ruled yet on which group is the "real AIADMK" and consequently has the right over the original AIADMK party symbol. The AIADMK had split into two factions after the death of Jayalalithaa. Her close aide VK Sasikala was named the new party chief but was jailed within weeks after the top court found her guilty in a disproportionate assets case. Sasikala placed Dinakaran in-charge of the party before heading to jail. The Sasikala faction contested the by-elections on the "hat" symbol after the the two leaves symbol was frozen by the Election Commission, acknowledging the split in the party. The Delhi police case against Dinakaran comes amid a major crisis in the Tamil Nadu government. A section of ministers have revolted against him and are seeking his resignation as AIADMK deputy general secretary. Dinakaran, who apparently enjoys the support of 38 MLAs, is likely to bring down the Palaniswami government, in the eventuality of a revolt against him, his confidante was quoted as saying. (WION with inputs from PTI)

Delhi Police file case against Sasikala nephew Dinakaran for attempting to bribe Election Commission

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