ECI said official candidate chosen by General Council resolution: AIADMK leader Shanmugam

New Delhi [India], February 6 : AIADMK EPS faction led by Rajya Sabha member C Ve Shanmugam on Monday submitted an affidavit to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and stated that ECI would act according to the order of the Supreme Court and recognise the official candidate for Erode East bye-election chosen by the General Council.
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) delegation led by Presidium Chairman Tamil Magan Hussain reached the ECI office on Monday to communicate about the General Council's decision of the official candidate for the Erode East bye-election.
Shanmugam while talking to the press said, "As per Supreme Court order, it gives full power to the Presidium Chairman of AIADMK party to convene the General Council meeting through circulation. The candidate elected through a resolution will be the official candidate of the AIADMK."
"The official candidate has to be communicated by Presidium Chairman Hussain to ECI. As per the Supreme Court order, the Presidium Chairman conveyed the General Council meeting by circulation. As per the Supreme order, it was intimated to the ECI today. ECI said they will act as per the order of the Supreme Court," added the Rajya Sabha leader.
Earlier on Saturday, the Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) faction of the AIADMK circulated forms to gather support for its candidate among the General Council members for the upcoming Erode East bypoll.
EPS faction has circulated the forms to get the approval of the General Council members for former MLA Thiru KS Thennarasu's candidature for the Erode (East) constituency.
This comes after the Supreme Court asked the AIADMK party General Council to pass a resolution related to a candidate who will represent the party in the upcoming bye-elections of Erode (East) constituency in Tamil Nadu.
It also permitted the three expelled members of the party including O Panneerselvam (OPS) to vote in the General Council.
The AIADMK has been following a dual-leadership formula with EPS as co-coordinator and OPS as coordinator, since the demise of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in 2016. The clamour for leadership has been growing louder for a single leader in the party since the district secretary meeting on June 14, 2022.
As of July 11, 2022, at the General Council meeting of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), Edappadi K Palaniswami was elected as the interim general secretary of the party.