The Tamil Nadu scenario has finally gotten as weird as it possibly could. The original J Jayalalithaa-owned AIADMK symbol of “two leaves” was frozen by the Election Commission (EC) on March 22, after all factions started fighting over it, as if that was what would get them votes and peace of mind.
Alternatively, the EC agreed to the factions claiming different motifs for the new parties in fray for the Radhakrishnan Nagar bypoll on April 12. For the first time after Jayalalithaa’s death, there will be no party with the name AIADMK, nor will the “two leaves” symbol be seen.
The symbols are as amazing as the names of the parties owning them now.
The small AIADMK faction that is now led by former chief minister O Panneerselvam will be known as the “AIADMK Puratchi Thalaivi Amma”. Its poll symbol? A very forward-looking “electricity pole”, clearly one that depicts its development agenda.
What would be the name of the AIADMK faction led by the jailed Sasikala? The faction’s name is “AIADMK Amma”. And their symbol? A “hat”. Experts will have to decide what this depicts, vis-à-vis the party’s agenda.
The symbols were sanctioned by the EC on March 23, after discussions with both factions.
—By India Legal Bureau