WHAT OTHERS SAY

A SYMBOLIC VICTORY

What brings people together is not always enough to keep them together. The struggle for the Two Leaves election symbol may have encouraged the two factions of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam to come together, but the allocation of the symbol by the Election Commission is not likely to make the prospects of their staying together any greater. While the O. Panneerselvam group formed a separate faction as a protest against the domineering inluence of the Sasikala family in the party, the Edappadi K. Palaniswami group distanced itself from the Sasikala family as a survival tactic to seek greater political legitimacy. Both camps have retained their separate identities after the merger. Therefore, the allocation of the symbol risks accentuating the internal struggle for posts and positions within the party. While another split in the near future is unlikely, the competing claims for power and inluence by the two factions could put the party under renewed stress. But what the allocation of the symbol does for the ruling combine is to give it an advantage over the Sasikala faction, represented by T.T.V. Dhinakaran, in the R.K. Nagar by-election. With the help of Two Leaves, the camp of ‘EPS and OPS’ might be able to beat back the challenge posed by Mr. Dhinakaran, who has already declared his intention to contest the election for the seat. The EC was faced with a straightforward issue in deciding the symbol case. The Hindu