AIADMK infighting: No fresh floor test till September 20, orders Madras High Court

Chennai: Amid escalating infighting in Tamil Nadu's ruling AIADMK, the TTV Dhinakaran faction of the party on Thursday moved a plea in the Madras High Court seeking a floor test in the state assembly. 

Responding to it, the Madras High Court then directed the Tamil Nadu Advocate General to see if any action can be taken to disqualify 19 MLAs supporting TTV Dhinakaran.

The court passed the interim order after apprehensions by the main opposition party, DMK, and the Dhinakaran camp about possible disqualification of 19 dissident AIADMK MLAs by the assembly Speaker.

The Madras High Court also ordered that no floor test be conducted in Tamil Nadu Assembly till September 20.

Sidelined AIADMK (Amma) deputy chief Dhinakaran had last week called on the state's Governor, Ch Vidyasagar Rao, to take action on the plea seeking ouster of Chief Minister K Palaniswami, his deputy O Panneerselvam and the demand for a fresh floor test in the Assembly.

Meanwhile, Dhinakaran, who along with his aunt VK Sasikala were recently removed from top posts in Tamil Nadu's ruling party, has also approached the Election Commission (EC) urging it to declare the recent AIADMK General Council meet 'illegal'.

According to ANI, the camp led by Dhinakaran argued before the poll watchdog that the recent AIADMK General Council meet where VK Sasikala was ousted shouldn't be considered legal.

Very soon we'll hold another General Council meet of the party after getting the consent of General Secretary VK Sasikala, Vijila Sathyananth, a member of the TTV Dhinakaran-led faction said.

The moves comes amid an ongoing infighting to wrest control of Tamil Nadu's ruling party, which was for years led by its late former leader J Jayalalithaa.

Importantly, TTV Dhinakaran had on Wednesday removed Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanisami from the post of AIADMK headquarter secretary.

The 'sacked' party deputy chief Dhinakaran appointed P Palaniappan as the new party headquarter secretary.

This came hours after the ruling AIADMK sacked jailed VK Sasikala as its interim chief and made its late supremo Jayalalithaa the party's "eternal general secretary", sparking fresh confrontation with rebel leader TTV Dhinakaran who vowed to bring down the government.

In other major decisions, the General Council altered the party's organisational structure to a collective leadership structure. It amended the party rules whereby none will be elected or nominated to the post of general secretary - a position held by party supremo and late chief minister J Jayalalithaa till her death.

Dhinakaran also dubbed the general council meeting, where the decision was taken, as a 'public meeting' and said he had undertaken efforts to "send home this regime" (led by Chief Minister K Palaniswami). The Dhinakaran camp claims a support of 19 MLAs.

The AIADMK has 134 MLAs in the 233-member House. A seat is lying vacant after the death of Jayalalithaa. The majority mark is 117.