The faction led by O Pannerselvam (OPS), E Madhusudhanan and S Semmalai, and supported by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister EK Palaniswami (EPS), is allowed to use the AIADMK name and two-leaves symbol, the Election Commission (EC) announced on Thursday.

“The Commission is of the considered opinion that (this petitioners group) enjoys the support of a majority of members, both in the organisational and legislature wings of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam,” the EC said in its 83-pages order, which details out why it decided in this faction’s favour.

The decision brings to an end an almost nine-month-long battle between the OPS and VK Sasikala factions on who is entitled to use the AIADMK name and symbol.

On March 16 this year the faction led by OPS had approached the EC, challenging the appointment of Sasikala as party general secretary and seeking a direction to allot the two-leaves symbol to itself. Sasikala had taken over as AIADMK general secretary in December 2016 following the death of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, who had also headed the party.

The OPS faction challenged Sasikala’s appointment saying she did not fulfil the requirement of continuous/uninterrupted membership of the party for five years.

RK Nagar by-poll

The petitioners also wanted that the Sasikala faction not be allowed to use the AIADMK name and symbol for the by-elections to RK Nagar Assembly constituency in Chennai until the case was dismissed.

The EC eventually decided that neither of the two factions of the AIADMK would be allowed to use the party name or symbol in the by-elections till the case was disposed of.

The by-election was eventually cancelled by the Commission following incidents of large-scale bribery of electors in the constituency.

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