Not received any application for AIADMK general secretary post: Spokesperson C Ponnaiyan

Chennai: AIADMK spokesperson C Ponnaiyan on Wednesday clarified that the party has not received any application for the post of general secretary till now.

"We have not received any application for the General Secretary post till now," C Poonaiyan told media. "Tomorrow's meeting is only to elect a new General Secretary. It has no other mandate," he said when asked if Sasikala Natarajan will be the next chief minister of the state.

His statement comes in the aftermath of violence that broke out outside the AIADMK office in Chennai today afternoon after expelled party leader Sasikala Pushpa's lawyers arrived there to file her nomination papers for the post. 

Pushpa's husband Lingeswara Thilaga and counsel KM Vijayan along with her supporters were today beaten brutally by Sasikala Natrajan's supporters outside the party headquarters.

As per a report, all hell broke out when Sasikala's husband and others entered the office to submit the nomination papers. The staff refused to accept the papers saying senior staffs were not present. Soon the crowd swooped on Pushpa's husband and supporters and beat them mercilessly.

They were escorted by police and were seen bleeding.

The report of violence came a day ahead of the meeting which has been called by party high command to decide on Jayalalithaa's successor. Reports also suggest that senior party leaders have already zeroed on the name of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's aide Sasikala Natrajan as the next general secretary of AIADMK. 

Pushpa had recently told the media that she would go all out to prevent Sasikala Natrajan from becoming the party general secretary and even called her ineligible for the post. 

AIADMK in August this year had expelled its Rajya Sabha MP Sasikala Pushpa from the party after her outbirsts in Parliament against the party leadership.