Palaniswami takes full control of AIADMK

Chennai: In a watershed event for the AIADMK, the party on Tuesday elevated Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) as its supreme leader, the general secretary, moments after deposed leader O Panneerselvam (OPS) lost one more legal battle against his expulsion from the party.

While the Madras High Court rejected pleas of Panneerselvam and his aides against their expulsion from AIADMK, 68-year old Palaniswami for the first time became the general secretary after the post's revival last year. Before his elevation, EPS was the interim general secretary.

Party founder-leader M G Ramachandran (MGR), former party supremo J Jayalalithaa, Navalar VR Nedunchezhiyan, P U Shanmugam and S Raghavanandam were the only other leaders who had held that top post in the AIADMK, which was founded in 1972.

On being elevated, cadres gave Palaniswami a rousing welcome and made him wear a dark glass and bright white cap just like MGR and he happily waved at cadres, seen as a gesture of bringing the party under his full control, very much like his iconic predecssors, MGR and Jayalalithaa. He swung into action immediately and announced a new membership drive. Palaniswami assuming the top position though has brought down the curtain on the leadership issue, the battle is set to continue in courts as OPS camp is determined to take forward its legal struggle.

Panneerselvam and his aides went to the Madras HC against the AIADMK's July 11, 2022 general council resolutions, one of which expelled him and his supporters including Paul Manoj Pandian and R Vaithilingam. Justice K Kumaresh Babu said that the AIADMK's general council resolutions relating to expulsion of Panneerselvam and appointing his rival K Palaniswami as the then interim chief were prima facie valid. Now, OPS and his aides have approached the High Court challenging the rejection of their suits.

Following Jayalalithaa's demise in 2016, the warring OPS and EPS factions came together ousting VK Sasikala --confidante of Jayalalithaa- and her relatives and amended party bye-laws designating Jayalalithaa as the eternal general secretary. It came up with a new dual leadership structure giving equal powers to EPS and OPS and made them joint-coordinator and coordinator respectively.

The dual leadership was scrapped last year and Panneerselvam and his supporters were expelled leading to legal battles in the Madras High Court and the Supreme Court and the matter also reached the Election Commission. OPS and his team had lost in several such battles. (PTI)