Both the warring factions of the All India Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) on Monday submitted to the Election Commission their final arguments in writing laying their claim to the party’s Two Leaves symbol.
The TTV Dhinakaran faction has further sought three days time to submit counter arguments in response to the documents submitted by the rival EPS-OPS faction on Monday.
"The EC gave us opportunity to submit our arguments in writing. We have given our arguments in 111 pages," senior advocate Raja Senthoor Pandian, representing the Dhinakaran faction, told IANS.
"But the other side also submitted some more documents today. Now we have sought three days time to submit our counter to the fresh documents submitted by the other side," he added.
In the papers submitted to the EC, the Dhinakaran faction has argued that the present case of AIADMK greatly differs from the Sadiq Ali case decided by the Supreme Court (Sadiq Ali vs Election Commission of India, November 1971), and which the rival faction has cited as the benchmark.
The Dhinakaran faction has also urged the EC to "randomly verify 10 per cent of the affidavits" submitted by the E Palanisami-O Pannerselavam faction that is currently ruling in Tamil Nadu.
On November 1, the counsel for TTV Dhinakaran’s faction had submitted their arguments over the two leaves symbol issue and asked for more time for further arguments. Following this, the Election Commission of India (ECI) had posted the next hearing for November 6.
In March, the Election Commission had frozen the two leaves symbol after two factions led by VK Sasikala and O Panneerselvam had staked claim to it. Thousands of affidavits were filed by both the factions following this.
However, in August, two factions led by O Panneerselvam and Edappadi Palaniswami joined hands and asked the Election Commission to withdraw the affidavits filed by them earlier.
(With IANS inputs)