E Madhusudanan is merged AIADMK faction candidate for RK Nagar bypoll: OPS loyalist enjoys good rapport with Opposition too

The AIADMK has nominated presidium chairman E Madhusudanan as the party’s candidate for the upcoming RK Nagar Assembly by-election, media reports said.

Madhusudhanan will be contesting against sidelined AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran , who was also named as the party’s candidate for the by-election on Wednesday. However, Madhusudhanan’s candidacy is expected to carry more legitimacy, since the Election Commission had earlier awarded the party’s “two leaves” symbol to the E Palaniswamy-O Panneerselvam faction, to which he belongs. According to India Today , Madhusudhanan, who is a Panneerselvam loyalist, edged past 12 other AIADMK members who had submitted their applications. Another report on The Times of India pegged the figure at around 20 aspirants who had expressed an interest in contesting the bypoll. Prominent among them, the reports added, are former MP and former north Chennai AIADMK secretary N Balaganga, another former north Chennai secretary Adhirajaram, former minister Gokula Indra, and A Thamizh Magan Hussein. Who is E Madhusudhanan? Madhusudhanan, according Deccan Chronicle , is an MGR loyalist and a long-time critic of the Opposition DMK party. He also enjoys a good rapport with political representatives of all parties. The report added that in 1991, Madhusudhanan had won the RK Nagar by-election and served as handloom minister during the chief ministership of J Jayalalithaa. Earlier, O Panneerselvam had announced Madhusudhanan as the candidate before the merger with E Palaniswamy. [caption id=“attachment_4235103” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] E Madhusudhanan. Image courtesy: YouTube[/caption] In 1991, Madhusudhanan was convicted in the free sari and dhoti scam, according to The Indian Express, although he was later acquitted in the case. The report added that Madhusudhanan was among those who had supported VK Sasikala in her bid to become chief minister of Tamil Nadu after Jayalalithaa’s demise in December last year. In February, however, he was removed from his post as presidium chairman, while he also lost primary membership of AIADMK, Huffpost reported. Madusudhanan’s removal came after he trained his guns at VK Sasikala, saying the Election Commission (EC) should not allow her to continue as general secretary of the party. After he was removed from the party post, he instead extended his support to O Panneerselvam. Panneerselvam had said that after Jayalalithaa’s death, Sasikala told him that Madhusudhanan would become general secretary, The Times of India had reported. But after AIADMK’s EPS-OPS camps called for a truce after the seven-member governing council was expanded to nine, a press release from the party said it was “unanimously” resolved in its meeting to authorise the AIADMK parliamentary board to select a candidate for the RK Nagar bypoll. The meeting of AIADMK parliamentary board scheduled for Wednesday to choose the party candidate for the bypoll was postponed and no reason was cited,  The New Indian Express reported. The report added that there were speculations over differences of opinion within the AIADMK about its candidate. With inputs from agencies