TTV Dinakaran to take Jayalalithaa's legacy forward; named as AIADMK candidate for RK Nagar bypoll

AIADMK's deputy general secretary TTV Dinakaran is the nephew of party general secretary VK Sasikala.

Chennai: Tamil Nadu`s ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) on Wednesday fielded TTV Dinakaran as the party candidate for the April 12 by-election for the Radhakrishnan Nagar Assembly constituency caused by the death of chief minister J Jayalalitha.

AIADMK's deputy general secretary Dinakaran is the nephew of party general secretary VK Sasikala.

According to a party statement here, the decision to field Dinakaran was taken at the AIADMK parliamentary board meeting, which is headed by Sasikala.

Notably, Dinakaran was dismissed from the party's primary membership by former general secretary and chief minister late J Jayalalithaa in 2011 and was re-inducted into the party last month was re-inducted into the party last month by Sasikala after he expressed regret for his alleged anti-party activities.

Subsequently, he was appointed as the party's deputy general secretary making him the second-in-command after Sasikala, who is now serving a jail term in Bengaluru, in connection with the Rs 66 crore disproportionate assets case.

This will be the first election faced which the AIADMK will face post-Jayalalithaa's death and the bitter rift following a revolt by expelled leader and former chief minister O Panneerselvam.

While AIADMK will seek to continue its electoral dominance, the April 12 by-election is seen as an indicator of the people's mindset in the wake of Jayalalithaa's demise and the rift in the ruling party.

The Election Commission of India has announced that the filing of nominations will begin on March 16 and would end on March 23. The last date for withdrawals is March 27. The result will be declared on April 15.

The poll body said the model code of conduct will come into force from Thursday and will be applicable for the entire Chennai district, of which RK Nagar constituency is a part.

Jayalalithaa died after prolonged hospitalisation on December 5, 2016, necessitating the by-election.

On February 24, Deepa Jayakumar, the niece of Jayalalithaa, announced the formation of her forum MGR Amma Deepa Peravai and her decision to contest from the RK Nagar constituency.