AIADMK expels 9 keys aides of TTV Dhinakaran

CHENNAI: Days after the RK Nagar bypoll debacle, the ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu on Thursday expelled at least nine members of Amma Peravai, a party wing named after former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, from their posts and also primary membership of the party. 

The nine members of the AIADMK had backed sidelined party deputy general secretary TTV Dhinakaran.

The decision was taken at a high-level committee meeting called by the two top party office-bearers to analyse the party's performance after the thumping defeat in RK Nagar polls by TTV Dhinkaran of the rival faction.

The ruling AIADMK urged EC to probe alleged irregularities committed by supporters of Dhinakaran in the bypoll held on 21 December.

As per a report, while four district secretaries, including P Vetrivel (North Chennai) and Thanga Tamilselvan (Theni), were removed from their posts, five others, including Karnataka state secretary V 
Pugazhendhi and women's wing deputy secretary C R Saraswathi, were expelled from the party.

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu Assembly will meet for its next session from January eight, 2018.

The session would commence with the customary address by the Governor Banwarilal Purohit, his first after taking over last month.

According to a government notification, the Governor has summoned the assembly to meet on January 8 at 10 AM.

The duration of the session will be decided later by the House's Business Advisory Committee.

The session will also see rival AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran making his debut in the Assembly after having won the December 21 Radhakrishnan Nagar bypoll by a thumping margin of 40,000 votes against E Madhusudhanan of AIADMK.

This will also be the first session after Speaker P Dhanapal disqualified 18 rival AIADMK MLAs supporting Dhinakaran, for revolting against Chief Minister K Palaniswami in August.

These MLAs had met the then governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao and said they had lost confidence in the Chief Minister, a day after the formal merger of the two factions led by Palaniswami and then rebel leader and now Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam on August 21.