Madras HC adjourns plea seeking conduct of election for AIADMK's general secretary post

Chennai: The Madras High Court on Tuesday adjourned to 27 October a petition seeking a direction to the Election Commission and the ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu to conduct elections for the party’s general secretary post. [caption id=“attachment_2708054” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Madras High Court. Wikimedia commons[/caption] Justice K Ravichandrabaabu adjourned the petition filed by Nalaperumal, an AIADMK member from Pollachi, after the advocate who appeared for him sought more time to engage a senior counsel for submitting their arguments. The petition contended that the 12 September meeting of AIADMK general council, convened by Chief Minister K Palaniswamy and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam led groups, had abolished the party general secretary post without following the rules and regulations of the party. He wanted the EC to direct Panneerselvam, who is the party coordinator, to hold election for the post of general secretary and also other office-bearers. The petitioner also claimed that the appointment of V K Sasikala as interim general secretary of the party by the general council meeting held earlier on December 29 last year was in violation of party rules. According to the AIADMK’s rules, the general secretary shall be elected by the primary members of all party units in Tamil Nadu and other states like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry. The petitioner submitted that he had made several representations to the Election Commission in this regard but to no avail. Without ascertaining who will become the next general secretary or take responsibility of the party’s administration, the EC had called the two rival camps in AIADMK to the hearing in the ’two leaves’ symbol case, he said.