AIADMK (Amma) dumps Dhinakaran

April 19, 2017

Chennai, Apr 19: In a dramatic development, the AIADMK (Amma) faction on Tuesday decided to “de-link” the party and the government from deputy general secretary T T V Dhinakaran and his family.

The decision, taken at a meeting chaired by CM K Palaniswami, came a few hours after leader of the AIADMK (Puratchi Thalaivi Amma) faction and former CM?O Panneerselvam ruled out a merger if jailed AIADMK (Amma) general secretary V K Sasikala, her nephew Dhinakaran and her family are not kept out of the party.

“We have decided to keep Dhinakaran away from the party after taking views of senior leaders and functionaries,” said Finance Minister D Jayakumar. It was still not clear whether Sasikala will be removed from the party or not.

The minister also pointed out that the late chief minister Jayalalithaa and party founder M G Ramachandran were always against family rule. “We have based our decision on that,” said Jayakumar.

Stating that the ministers have decided to save the party and its “two leaves” symbol, Jayakumar said a committee would be formed for holding talks with Panneerselvam for the merger.

To make the patch-up easier, the minister said, “We are ready for talks with Panneerselvam. We are waiting for it.”

When asked about Panneerselvam’s another demand, a judicial enquiry into Jayalalithaa’s death, Jayakumar said, “Everything will be discussed.”

But some MLAs are still backing Dhinakaran. Sattur MLA S G Subramanian told reporters that Dhinakaran is their leader and the party deputy general secretary. The legislators were bound only by his directions, he added.

A few MLAs, including P Vetrivel, said that Jayakumar does not have the authority to make such an announcement. “How can Jayakumar make the announcement without consulting Dhinakaran. There is no clarity. We have to wait and see,” said Vetrivel.

Dhinakaran, who returned to Chennai early on Tuesday from Bengaluru, is yet to express his views on the developments. With this, there are three factions in Tamil Nadu headed by Palaniswami, Panneerselvam and Dhinakaran (Sasikala).

In the Tamil Nadu Assembly, the Sasikala faction earlier enjoyed the support of 122 MLAs and Panneerselvam 12. The present tally is not clear.

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Over 58 lakh names dropped from draft voter list in Bengal ahead of polls

News Network

December 16,2025

The deletion of over 58 lakh names from West Bengal’s draft electoral rolls following a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has sparked widespread concern and is likely to deepen political tensions in the poll-bound state.

According to the Election Commission, the revision exercise has identified 24 lakh voters as deceased, 19 lakh as relocated, 12 lakh as missing, and 1.3 lakh as duplicate entries. The draft list, published after the completion of the first phase of SIR, aims to remove errors and duplication from the electoral rolls.

However, the scale of deletions has raised fears that a large number of eligible voters may have been wrongly excluded. The Election Commission has said that individuals whose names are missing can file objections and seek corrections. The final voter list is scheduled to be published in February next year, after which the Assembly election announcement is expected. Notably, the last Special Intensive Revision in Bengal was conducted in 2002.

The development has intensified the political row over the SIR process. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress have strongly opposed the exercise, accusing the Centre and the Election Commission of attempting to disenfranchise lakhs of voters ahead of the elections.

Addressing a rally in Krishnanagar earlier this month, Banerjee urged people to protest if their names were removed from the voter list, alleging intimidation during elections and warning of serious consequences if voting rights were taken away.

The BJP, meanwhile, has defended the revision and accused the Trinamool Congress of politicising the issue to protect what it claims is an illegal voter base. Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari alleged that the ruling party fears losing power due to the removal of deceased, fake, and illegal voters.

The controversy comes amid earlier allegations by the Trinamool Congress that excessive work pressure during the SIR led to the deaths by suicide of some Booth Level Officers (BLOs), for which the party blamed the Election Commission. With the draft list now out, another round of political confrontation appears imminent.

As objections begin to be filed, the focus will be on whether the correction mechanism is accessible, transparent, and timely—critical factors in ensuring that no eligible voter is denied their democratic right ahead of a crucial election.

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