CHENNAI: Even as the war of words and competitive sackings between PMK founder S Ramadoss and his son and party president Anbumani Ramadoss becomes intense, the latter has set up his camp in New Delhi to bolster his claim to the party’s control.

According to leaders familiar with the development, Anbumani reportedly met with officials from the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday to submit documents confirming his leadership. Anbumani was elected president of the party in May 2022 by the party’s general council, a decision approved by the ECI. However, the tenure of his post has already lapsed as per the party’s existing bylaws.

According to the bylaws, the tenure is only for three years. This strengthens founder Ramadoss' position, who has been saying that the new president has to be elected afresh. This provides a possible reason behind Anbumani’s visit to Delhi.

PMK did not issue any official statement about Anbumani’s visit to the capital and his appointments. However, it was speculated that meetings with top BJP leaders, including Amit Shah and JP Nadda, were part of the plan. A few days ago, Anbumani criticised that his father is not in a steady state of mind due to old age. This was a reply to Ramadoss, who has been making slanderous statements openly. Meanwhile, the father-son war worsened with MLA Arul alleging a threat to the founder Ramadoss’ life.