Chennai, Nov 12 (IANS) Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) president Anbumani Ramadoss on Wednesday asserted that the Election Commission (EC) has officially recognised his leadership of the party and confirmed that it would contest the upcoming Assembly elections under its traditional Mango symbol.

Addressing party cadres at a meeting held in a private marriage hall near Chennai, Anbumani said, “Our leadership has been recognised by the Election Commission and we will contest under the Mango symbol. This cannot be changed.”

His comments came in response to reports that PMK founder S. Ramadoss, his father, had written to the EC claiming ownership of the Mango symbol.

The father-son rift, which has been escalating for months, has seen both leaders independently appointing and dismissing party functionaries, with senior members taking sides in the internal feud.

Anbumani, however, struck a confident tone and urged his supporters to concentrate on strengthening the organisation ahead of the elections. Referring to his recently concluded 100-day “Nadai Payanam” (Pada Yatra), he said the tour helped him gauge the public mood and claimed that “people are unhappy with the DMK government.”

“Comparisons are being made between the DMK and the PMK. But we are a party with vision and youth power. We have numerous development policies for the welfare of the people, and our strength lies in being close to their hearts,” he said.

He called upon cadres to use the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls as a means to consolidate the party’s base.

“Go door to door, check whether any eligible voters have been left out, and ensure that our supporters are on the rolls. Understand who the BLO and BLA are — this is your election. In a few months, some of you might even become MLAs or ministers,” he told an applauding crowd.

Later, at a brief press interaction, Anbumani criticised the DMK for staging a protest over the SIR process, calling it a “diversionary tactic.”

He accused the ruling party of ignoring pressing issues, including the plight of delta farmers who had suffered crop losses due to heavy rains and were still awaiting compensation.

–IANS

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