Chennai, Feb 2 (NationPress) Former Union Minister Dr Anbumani Ramadoss stated in the Madras High Court that he is the only legitimate representative of the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK). He characterized the faction supporting his father, Dr S. Ramadoss, as a mere breakaway group with no official standing as the party.

This proclamation occurred during a hearing linked to a writ petition from Dr Ramadoss, requesting that the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) send the PMK’s 'mango' symbol allocation for the 2026 Assembly elections to his official Chennai address.

While presenting his case before the division bench led by Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G. Arul Murugan, senior counsel N.L. Rajah alleged that Dr Ramadoss's father was attempting to secure a court order without including him in the proceedings.

Rajah argued that the writ petition was improperly filed as it did not include Anbumani Ramadoss, emphasizing that he is the rightful leader of the PMK and that the faction led by Dr S. Ramadoss should not be recognized as the legitimate party.

"I am the party; they are merely a breakaway faction," the senior counsel asserted before the Bench.

However, the Chief Justice declined to hear the arguments, noting that Dr Anbumani Ramadoss was not a party to the case.

"How can we grant you a hearing when you are not part of this case?" the Chief Justice questioned, suggesting that counsel should first submit a request for impleadment.

Rajah agreed to this, and the Bench subsequently issued notices to the ECI and the Tamil Nadu CEO, with a three-week response deadline.

In his writ petition, filed under the name of the PMK as represented by its founder, Dr Ramadoss claimed to still hold the position of President of the party and accused his son of providing fraudulent documents to the ECI to misrepresent himself as party President.

He sought to annul an ECI communication dated July 30, 2025, which stated that the 'mango' symbol was allocated to Dr Anbumani Ramadoss’s address in T. Nagar, Chennai.

Dr Ramadoss pointed out that his son's three terms as party President concluded on May 28, 2025, alleging that any subsequent meetings held by him were illegal and unauthorized. He also claimed that the ECI had decided on July 31, 2025, to allocate the symbol to the PMK for the previous Bihar Assembly elections and the upcoming Tamil Nadu and Puducherry elections, but the communication was incorrectly directed to his son.

Referring to discussions at the Delhi High Court in December 2025, Dr Ramadoss noted that ECI representatives had indicated that the 'mango' symbol would be frozen due to the internal dispute, a measure he insists has yet to be implemented.

This legal struggle underscores the escalating leadership conflict within the PMK as the 2026 Assembly elections approach.