LIVE updates: TTV Dhinakaran launches new party called Amma Makkal Munetra Kazhagam with Jayalalithaa's face on flag

Dhinakaran launches party latest updates

Rebel AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran (also spelt Dinakaran) launched his own political party on Thursday. The party is named Amma Makkal Munetra Kazhagam. At the launch, Dhinakaran said, "We will win all upcoming elections from now by using latest name and party flag, we will also try to retrieve the two leaves symbol, till then will use cooker symbol."

According to NDTV, Dhinakaran will unveil the name and flag of his party in Madurai, where Kamal Hassan also recently launched his party Makkal Needhi Maiam.

File image of TTV Dhinakaran. Getty Images

Dhinakaran has also urged his supporters to turn up in large numbers for the launch of his party.

"Following the acceptance of our plea in the Delhi High Court, a function to announce the name of the party and introduce the party flag will be held on 15 March at 9 am at Melur in Madurai district," PTI had quoted Dhinakaran as saying in a statement in Chennai.

The Delhi High Court on 9 March had allowed Dhinakaran's plea for allotment of a common symbol, preferably 'pressure cooker', and a name of his choice for the AIADMK faction led by him.

The court order came on an interim application filed by the Dhinakaran-VK Sasikala faction in their main petition challenging the Election Commission's 23 November order last year, which had allotted 'two leaves' symbol to the group headed by Chief Minister K Palaniswamy and his deputy O Panneerselvam.

Panneerselvam is the coordinator of the AIADMK and Palaniswamy is the joint coordinator. Dhinakaran, who won the RK Nagar Assembly bypoll, held in December last as an independent candidate on the 'pressure cooker' symbol, had earlier told the court that he needed a temporary name and symbol for his group to interact with the electorate in the eventuality of elections to local bodies or any other polls.

The bypoll was necessitated by the death of late chief minister J Jayalalithaa. The RK Nagar MLA's announcement to launch a political party comes weeks after actor-politician Kamal Haasan floated his party 'Makkal Needhi Maiam' in Madurai. On 31 December, Tamil superstar Rajinikanth had announced his decision to enter politics but he is yet to launch a party.

With inputs from agencies