- Chennai civil court refused to freeze PMK's mango symbol ahead of Tamil Nadu Assemnly election
- Court cited need to avoid interfering once election process has started
- PMK founder Ramadoss and son Anbumani are in an internal leadership dispute
In a setback to Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder Dr Ramadoss and a shot in the arm for his son Anbumani ahead of Tamil Nadu assembly election, a civil court in Chennai declined to interfere in the ongoing dispute over the party's 'Mango' symbol, citing the sanctity of the electoral process.
Ramadoss had filed a petition seeking a freeze on the symbol "mango." The court has now ruled that "once the election process has begun, courts should exercise extreme circumspection and ordinarily refrain from passing orders which may interfere." The court refused to grant interim relief sought by one faction of the party.
The case follows an internal father-son conflict. In 2025, Ramadoss announced he would be the president as well, unseating the junior, while his son called it illegal and claimed he continued to be the party's boss as only he was appointed by the party's highest decision making body.
Ramadoss argued for freezing the 'mango' symbol, but the court held that such intervention at this stage could "disturb the level playing field among candidates" and "create confusion among the electorate."
The Election Commission told the court that symbol allotment is part of the election process and that it does not adjudicate internal party disputes, acting only on available records. It also said any intervention now would interfere with the ongoing polls.
Dismissing the applications, the court concluded that the petitioner (Founder Ramadoss) had failed to establish a "prima facie case, balance of convenience, and irreparable injury."
The court has now given the senior leader freedom to approach the Election Commission of India on the same issue.
Hours later, senior Ramadoss hit back saying "Election Commission's decision to allot 'mango' symbol to Anbumani faction is biased and anti-democratic."
Politically, while Anbumani has joined NDA, the senior Ramadoss has teamed up with expelled AIADMK leader Sasikala, but they are yet to field candidates. Their aim is to split the Thevar and Vanniyar community votes to take on what they call betrayers. NDA leaders, however, say this move will hardly have any impact on their prospects.
(With inputs from Mithraa Anand)
