The AIADMK cadre in Tamil Nadu heaved a sigh of relief on Saturday morning when they came to know that Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, who is also the general secretary of the party, authorised the three candidates for the November 19 Assembly election to contest on the party symbol.
The Form B submitted by the party candidates, along with the nomination papers, bore the left thumb impression of Jayalalithaa instead of her signature, who has been hospitalised since September 22 for fever and dehydration.
According to the Representation of People’s Act, a candidate contesting in an election as a party candidate must submit the Form B with an authorisation by the party leader allowing him/her to contest on the party symbol.
Dr P Balaji, Professor of Minimal Access Surgery, Madras Medical College, who attested the thumb impression stated in the affidavit that “since the signatory has undergone tracheostomy recently and has an inflamed right hand she is temporarily unable to affix her signature. Hence she has affixed her left thumb impression on her own in my presence”.
While the AIADMK cadre had a subdued Diwali celebrations on Saturday san bursting of crackers or distribution of sweets, many party leaders spent the day in temples, mosques and churches across Tamil Nadu offering special prayers and poojas for the speedy recovery of Jayalalithaa.
Diwali celebrations were muted in Tamil Nadu as Muthuvel Karunanidhi, the 93-year-old president of the DMK too is not in the best of health since last week.
Though Karunanidhi is against Diwali, terming it as an Aryan festival, the DMK cadre usually celebrate it with gaiety. The DMK supremo has not made any public appearance for the last ten days and is confined to the Gopalapuram residence with Dayalu Ammal, his second wife. Rajathi Ammal, his third wife, is the only person other than members of the Dayalu Ammal branch of the family who has been allowed to visit him these days.
Sources close to the Karunanidhi clan said the DMK chief is monitoring the health status of Jayalalithaa through all his sources.