Chennai, Feb 2 (IANS) Former Union Minister Dr Anbumani Ramadoss on Monday told the Madras High Court that he alone legally represents the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) and that the group rallying behind party founder and his father Dr S. Ramadoss was merely a breakaway faction that could not be recognised as the party.
The assertion was made during the hearing of a writ petition filed by Dr Ramadoss seeking directions to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) to communicate the allotment of the PMK’s “mango” symbol for the 2026 Assembly elections to his official address in Chennai.
Appearing before the division bench of Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G. Arul Murugan, senior counsel N.L. Rajah, representing Anbumani Ramadoss, alleged that his client’s father was attempting to “snatch an order from the court behind his back” without making him a party to the proceedings.
Rajah contended that the writ petition itself was not maintainable without impleading Anbumani Ramadoss, asserting that his client was the legitimate head of the PMK and that the faction led by Dr S. Ramadoss could not be treated as the party.
“I am the party; they are a breakaway faction,” the senior counsel told the Bench.
The Chief Justice, however, declined to hear the submissions, pointing out that Dr Anbumani Ramadoss was not a party to the case.
“How can we give you an audience when you are not a party here?” the Chief Justice asked, advising counsel to first move an application seeking impleadment.
As Rajah agreed to do so, the Bench then ordered notices to the ECI and the Tamil Nadu CEO, returnable within three weeks.
In his writ petition, filed in the name of the PMK as represented by its founder, Dr Ramadoss, claimed that he continues to be the incumbent President of the party and accused his son of submitting forged documents to the ECI to falsely project himself as party President.
He sought to quash an ECI communication dated July 30, 2025, which conveyed the allotment of the ‘mango’ symbol to Dr Anbumani Ramadoss’s address at Tilak Street, T. Nagar, Chennai.
Dr Ramadoss stated that his son’s three tenures as party President ended on May 28, 2025, and alleged that subsequent party meetings conducted by him were illegal and unauthorised. He further claimed that the ECI had decided on July 31, 2025, to allot the symbol to the PMK for the Bihar Assembly elections last year and for the upcoming Tamil Nadu and Puducherry polls, but that the communication was wrongly addressed to his son.
Referring to proceedings before the Delhi High Court in December 2025, Dr Ramadoss said ECI counsel had indicated that the ‘mango’ symbol would be frozen due to the internal dispute, a step that, according to him, has not yet been taken.
The legal battle highlights the intensifying leadership crisis within the PMK ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.
–IANS
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