The Election Commission of India (ECI) resumed the hearing to determine whether complaints from the O Panneerselvam (OPS) faction are in line with the dispute in paragraph 15 of the 1968 Election Symbols (Reservation and Distribution) Order.
This development brings the fate of EPS leadership and AIADMK’s iconic “Two Leaves” symbols in an updated review.
The EPS camp reportedly was not satisfied with the reinvestigation and was approaching the court, seeking directions from the ECI for the matter, citing potential damage to the party’s image before the polls.
Core Issue: Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15 authorizes the ECI to rule when a recognized party has been divided into rival factions. This test has been repeatedly applied to party disputes.
AIADMK’s leadership crisis
The troubles of AIADMK for ECI began in 2022 after Chief Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam and his loyalists were expelled, and the party moved from dual leadership to single leadership under EPS.
In April 2023, ECI recognized EPS as Secretary-General and approved the constitutional amendment and updated the list of office staff. However, between April 2023 and December 2024, there were seven complaints, including OPS’s son, P. Ravindranath, P. Ravindranath, filing, solicited the judiciary, the symbol of the party was made by the eci district forsiond forneciment forneciment forned forder forder. When AIADMK received a temporary stay on December 24, 2024, paragraph 15 stopped the detector.
Following a new petition, the court cancelled its stay on February 12, 2025, ruling that ECI cannot be prohibited from reviewing the issue under symbolic orders.
ECI re-acts
With the lifting of accommodation, ECI resumed a clear authorization hearing. Justices R. Subramanian and G. Arul Murugan directed the committee to determine first whether there was a paragraph 15 “dispute” and then decide which faction to recognize.
The Court also noted that interim orders from the Supreme Court and the High Court would bind the ECI, and the Committee agreed to follow the ECI.
EPS Camp said no dispute
The AIADMK, led by EPS, believes that paragraph 15 does not apply, claiming that there are no 2,539 competitors of the 2,665 General Council members, while 65 MLAS returns to no competitors in the EPS.
They also pointed out that ECI has accepted the 2022 constitutional amendment and authorized EPS to sign a nomination form to compete for candidates with the “two leaves” symbol.
