Tamil Nadu's ruling AIADMK on Monday said it would start receiving applications from people who wish to contest the April-May Assembly elections on a party ticket from February 24, which falls on the birth anniversary of late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.
In a joint statement, AIADMK Coordinator O Panneerselvam and joint coordinator Edappadi K Palaniswami said party cadres can get the applications to contest the Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Kerala from February 24 to March 5.
Actor Kamal Haasan's Makkal Needhi Maiam also announced that application forms for those wanting party tickets will be available from February 21. The cost of an application is fixed at Rs 25,000.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) is expected to announce the election date for Tamil Nadu in the last week of February or early March. The tenure of current Tamil Nadu Assembly ends on May 24.
“Party cadres interested in contesting the 2021 assembly elections can collect the application form from the headquarters from February 24 to March 5 between 10 am and 5 pm,” the leaders said in the statement.
They also asked them to submit the forms back after duly filling them in the headquarters. For Tamil Nadu, the application form costs Rs 15,000, while the price for Puducherry is fixed at Rs 5,000 and Rs 2,000 for Kerala.
Dravidian majors — DMK and AIADMK — collect fees for selling the application forms in a bid to collect funds for the party. The parties rake in crores of rupees in the form of fees for application forms to contest the elections which will be used during polls.
Under Jayalalithaa regime, almost all top leaders and functionaries would buy application forms asking her to contest from their constituencies. 2021 Assembly election is considered as an acid test for the AIADMK under EPS and OPS as this is the first time the party will face the Assembly polls without its charismatic leader J Jayalalithaa.