Disqualified MLAs Won’t Appeal in SC, Will Face Polls: AMMK chief

Dhinakaran said that they are not going for an appeal. Instead, he will face the elections.

File photo of AMMK Chief TTV Dhinakaran.

(Photo: PTI)

Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) chief TTV Dhinakaran announced that they will not go for an appeal against the Madras High Court verdict upholding the disqualification of the 18 AIADMK MLAs. Speaking to the reporters in Madurai, Dhinakaran said the MLAs are ready to face the by-elections to the 20 constituencies in Tamil Nadu.

“I had already announced this, we are not going for an appeal. We will face the elections.”

TTV Dhinakaran, AMMK chief

Responding to a remark made by the ruling AIADMK that the MLAs who sided with the AMMK chief would lose their deposit if they contest in elections, Dhinakaran said, “They said the same thing even during RK Nagar by-polls (where TTV Dhinakaran won by defeating the AIADMK and the DMK candidates). The AIADMK would be the one who would be fighting to retain deposit in the constituencies. AMMK will win a huge victory in all 20 constituencies.”

The announcement comes a week after Madras High Court ruled that the decision of the speaker of the TN Assembly to disqualify the 18 MLAs was valid. The ruling was delivered by Justice M Sathyanarayanan, the third judge in the case, which saw a split verdict in August.

“In politics, there is no setback. It is only an experience. We thought we will get a favourable verdict. But the judgment was the opposite. We will discuss with the 18 MLAs and decide our future course of action. If they decide to appeal, we will appeal, if they decide to face the elections, then we will not appeal. So whatever they decide, we will stand by that.”

TTV Dhinakaran to journalists

The move by the Dhinakaran camp comes two days after the ruling AIADMK announced a list of Ministers who would be personally overseeing the 20 by-poll constituencies for the party.

Speaker P Dhanapal disqualified the 18 AIADMK MLAs on 18 September under the Anti-Defection Act. The MLAs, who were supporting ousted AIADMK Deputy General Secretary, now AMMK leader and RK Nagar MLA TTV Dhinakaran, were disqualified on the grounds that they had “voluntarily given up their party membership”.

Calling the Speaker’s decision illegal and unauthorised, the MLAs had moved the High Court seeking that the Speaker’s decision be quashed and their constitutional right be restored.  

“The six-month period to conduct an election to the vacant assembly constituencies gets over in January only in two constituencies -- Tirupparankundram and Thiruvarur. Whenever the elections are going to be held for 20 constituencies, we will win a huge victory,” he said.

Expressing his confidence in winning the bye-elections, Dinakaran added that AMMK workers have been posted in all constituencies till the grassroots-level for the last since months.

(This article was originally published on The News Minute)