Fight for Jaya's legacy: Sasikala's nephew aims for RK Nagar seat
- The R K Nagar constituency was left vacant after the demise of J Jayalalithaa.
- Dinakaran is the nephew of Sasikala and a former MP.
- Dinakaran, who was expelled from the AIADMK in 2011, was re-inducted into the party last month by Sasikala.
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T T V Dinakaran, the AIADMK Deputy General Secretary and the nephew of V K Sasikala, has been nominated as the party's candidate for the RK Nagar by-poll scheduled for April 12. Election to the constituency was necessitated by the death of sitting member and former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa in December last.
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According to a party statement, the decision to field Dinakaran was taken at the AIADMK parliamentary board meeting, which is headed by its General Secretary Sasikala.
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Dinakaran, nephew of Sasikala, is a former MP.Â
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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.
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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.
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Dinakaran, who was expelled from the AIADMK in 2011, 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.
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Sasikala, her husband M Natarajan and close relatives Dinakaran and Venkatesh were expelled from the AIADMK in 2011 by Jayalalithaa amidst reports then that they interfered in party and government administration.Â