The April 12 bye-poll will see a multi-cornered contest with the DMK, BJP, Jayalalithaa’s niece Deepa Jayakumar and the two factions of the AIADMK under VK Sasikala and O Panneerselvam battling it out in the North Chennai constituency.
The affidavits were filed by all candidates for the bypoll - including the two factions of AIADMK headed by Sasikala and OPS.
Following the Election Commission freezing the AIADMK’s two leaves symbol and barring the use of the party name, Sasikala’s camp has been allotted the hat symbol and will go by the name AIADMK (Amma), while OPS’ faction has been granted the electric pole and the name AIADMK (Puratchi Thalaivi Amma).
So, what does RK Nagar’s electorate need to know about their candidates before the elections?
TTV Dhinakaran, AIADMK (Amma)
In affidavits filed before the Election Commission, AIADMK (Amma) candidate TTV Dhinakaran has said he has has assets worth just over Rs 68 lakh. While his movable assets in the form of cash in hand, fixed deposits and shares come up to over Rs 11 lakh, he has immovable assets worth over Rs 57 lakh.
But while Dhinakaran himself has assets worth just Rs 68 lakh, his wife and child’s assets amount to Rs 9.59 crore and Rs 49 lakh respectively. In fact, every immovable asset except their house in Mylapore is in Dhinakaran’s wife’s name.
And the house - which is in Adyar with a total land area of 8726 square feet, with a built up area of 7500 square feet - is valued at a total of around Rs 1.14 crore, with Dhinakaran’s share pegged at around Rs 57 lakh.
Significantly, TTV Dhinakaran lists the penalty of Rs 28 crore that was slapped against him in a FERA case as “liabilities” in his affidavit.
The 53-year-old, who is a former Lok Sabha MP from Periyakulam and an ex Rajya Sabha MP, listed his profession as an agriculturalist. Under his educational qualifications, Sasikala’s nephew stated that he had finished his Higher Secondary from Mannargudi and had dropped out from the Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree from Chikkamagalur.
In his election affidavit, TTV Dhinakaran also lists the two pending Enforcement Directorate cases against him. He has been accused of money laundering and violating foreign exchange regulations. Dhinakaran also lists a pending appeal in the Supreme Court in another ED case, where trial had recently been ordered by the Madras High Court.
Earlier this week, the Madras High Court had dismissed a PIL by an AIADMK member named Joseph, who sought to bar Dhinakaran from contesting on the grounds that he had to pay a fine of Rs 28 crore in the FERA case. Under the Representation of Peoples’ Act, a conviction under FERA is grounds for disqualification. The High Court, however, had dismissed the PIL, informing the petition to approach the Election Commission instead.
E Madhusudhanan, AIADMK (Puratchi Thalaivi Amma)
Veteran leader E Madhusudhanan, who is former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam’s candidate for the RK Nagar bye-election, has assets worth Rs 1.55 crore as per his affidavit. The AIADMK (Puratchi Thalaivi Amma) candidate has movable assets that amount to over Rs 18 lakh, while his immovable assets are worth Rs 1.37 crore.
Madhusudhanan lists that his wife has movable and immovable assets totalling Rs 3.81 crore. The 75-year-old, who was elected to RK Nagar in 1991 under Jayalalithaa’s AIADMK, has no pending cases against him.
Under educational qualifications, Madhusudhanan said that he has finished his SSLC.
Deepa Jayakumar, Independent
Jayalalithaa’ niece Deepa Jayakumar, who is making her political debut, has assets worth over Rs 3 crore. According to her election affidavit, she has movable assets totalling Rs 1.06 crore and immovable assets worth Rs 2 crore. She also states that she has liabilities to the tune of Rs 6.15 lakh, in the form of a loan.
Deepa, however, fails to list her spouse Madhavan’s name, PAN card details, or assets in her election affidavit. Madhavan had recently quit her MGR Amma Deepa Peravai and announced that he would launch his own political party. Deepa is standing as an independent candidate as she has maintained that MADP is not a political outfit and is only a federation.
Under her educational qualifications, Deepa lists a BA from Madras University, MA from Kamaraj University and an MA in International Journalism from Cardiff University.
N Maruthu Ganesh, DMK
DMK’s Maruthu Ganesh, who filed his election affidavit and nomination papers on Wednesday, has total assets worth over Rs 12 lakh. This Includes movable assets amounting to over Rs 2.79 lakh while his immovable assets account for Rs 10 lakh. As per his affidavit, his wife P Kavitha has assets worth over Rs 7 lakh.
The 42-year-old BCom and LLB graduate has one case pending against him under the Tamil Nadu Open Places (Prevention of Disfigurement) Act. Maruthu Ganesh was considered a surprise choice, being a relatively unknown face in the DMK. Being the party’s RK Nagar East Division Secretary, the DMK hopes choosing a local man will pay dividend in the bye-election.
While BJP’s Gangai Amaran has filed his nomination papers and affidavit before the Election Commission, the details of the same are yet to be updated on the EC website.