TTV Dhinakaran said AIADMK (Amma) faction will support NDA's President nominee Ram Nath Kovind.
AIADMK (Amma) faction leader TTV Dhinakaran today announced the camp's support to NDA's candidate
Ram Nath Kovind in the July 17 presidential poll. Mr Dhinakaran made the announcement as per the "orders" of jailed party chief VK Sasikala, and said all the lawmakers in the faction as well as MLAs in the Assemblies of both Tamil Nadu and Puducherry will support
Mr Kovind in the election.
"As per the orders of AIADMK (Amma) General Secretary V K Sasikala, I announce with joy that MPs from the Amma faction, besides MLAs in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, and alliance party MLAs will vote for Ram Nath Kovind, who is contesting the Presidential polls on behalf of BJP," he said in a statement here. Mr Dhinakaran's announcement virtually seals AIADMK's entire support to the NDA candidate, and comes in the wake of Chief Minister K Palaniswami, heading the Amma faction, and rebel leader O Panneerselvam having already extended their support to the former Bihar governor.
The AIADMK has a total of 49 lawmakers, including 37 in Lok Sabha, while its strength in the Tamil Nadu Assembly is 135. In the 234-member state Assembly, the Amma faction has 122 legislators while the Puratchi Thalaivi Amma camp led by Panneerselvam has 12 legislators. The other one is the Speaker.
The RK Nagar seat lies vacant following the death of former chief minister Jayalalithaa in December last year. Recently, nearly 30 ruling party legislators had called on Mr Dhinakaran post his release on bail in the Election Commission bribery case, triggering speculation that one more faction could emerge