CHENNAI: In a move to assess and exhibit the support he has within the party, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami convened a meeting of district secretaries on Tuesday.
The party has 82 district secretaries, and the number of leaders attending the meeting is expected to play a crucial role in shaping Palaniswami’s next political moves amid the escalating power struggle within the party.
The meeting is being convened in the backdrop of the widening rift within the party after a section led by C Ve Shanmugam and SP Velumani rebelled against Palaniswami following the drubbing in the Assembly polls.
The Shanmugam camp has been demanding that the general council meeting be convened immediately and has begun efforts to collect signatures from one-fifth of the council members to formally requisition it.
Sensing that his general secretary post is under threat, Palaniswami is likely to pilot a resolution stating that there was no immediate need to convene the general council and another reiterating confidence in him as the party supremo, sources told DT Next. Another resolution may authorise him to take all necessary steps for the growth and functioning of the AIADMK.
Meanwhile, in a statement on Monday evening, Palaniswami urged the cadre to remain united and expressed confidence that the AIADMK would return to power despite its defeat in the 2026 Assembly election.
Terming the electoral setback as temporary, he claimed that the party secured substantial public support. Palaniswami also accused the ruling TVK government of surviving on alliance support and alleged that attempts were being made to engineer defections within the AIADMK through inducements and “horse-trading”.
He further dismissed as false reports that the AIADMK had attempted to form a government with support from its arch rival DMK.
Recalling the legacy of late leaders MG Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa, Palaniswami said the party had overcome bigger crises in the past and would emerge stronger once again.