The crime branch of Delhi Police today booked AIADMK deputy general secretary TTV Dhinakaran for allegedly trying to bribe an Election Commission official to get the ‘two leaves’ poll symbol in the by-election to R K Nagar Assembly seat.
Dhinakaran, a leader of the AIADMK faction led by his jailed aunt V K Sasikala, was booked following the arrest of Sukesh Chandrasekhar, a middleman, from a five-star hotel here yesterday.
“It has been learnt that Sukesh had struck a deal for Rs 50 crore for helping the AIADMK faction keep the ‘two leaves’ symbol. Police has recovered Rs 1.30 crore from Sukesh and two cars — a BMW and a Mercedes — have also been seized,” said a senior police officer.
Sukesh is being interrogated to know about his profile and his connection with any EC official, he said.
The Election Commission had frozen AIADMK’s ‘two leaves’ symbol after the two factions led by Sasikala and former chief minister O Panneerselvam staked claim to it.
The faction led by its general secretary Sasikala, jailed in a disproportionate assets case, later opted for the ‘hat’ symbol.
The bypoll to the R K Nagar Assembly constituency in Tamil Nadu was scheduled for April 12, but the Election Commission cancelled it, saying the electoral process had been “seriously vitiated” by parties through use of money power.
Dhinakaran was the candidate for the Sasikala faction.
The seat fell vacant after the death of the then chief minister J Jayalalithaa on December 5 and the bypoll is being viewed as a battle of prestige for the two factions of the AIADMK.