CHENNAI: The turmoil within the AIADMK, which is threatening to considerably reduce the almost-complete control that general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami enjoyed till the recently concluded election, is continuing unabated, even as the rebels have reportedly managed to get the support of a sizeable number of district secretaries.
Meanwhile, the dissidents are still grappling with the twin issues of extending support to C Joseph Vijay-led government and the new power structure within the AIADMK after the change of guard at the top.
On Sunday, the rebels led by senior leader CVe Shanmugam held a key meeting at his MRC Nagar residence, which was attended by more than 35 MLAs and 50 district secretaries to discuss the possibility of backing the TVK in the Assembly. However, with no invitation or even a positive signal coming from the ruling party so far, they are struggling to finalise the next move.
The crisis stems from the AIADMK’s poor performance in the recent elections, winning only 47 seats on its own, and 52 for the whole National Democratic Alliance that it is leading in Tamil Nadu. Despite challenging the DMK on the anti-incumbency platform, the opposition alliance’s numbers dropped from 75 in the last Assembly elections in 2021.
The setback triggered open discontent against Palaniswami, who had emerged as the singular leader over the years.
Earlier in the day, Palaniswami held a separate meeting with MLAs at his Greenways Road residence, which was not attended by Shanmugam or SP Velumani. Only 10 to 13 MLAs and around 25 to 30 district secretaries were present, said sources, adding that his attempts to pacify them failed.
Sources added that the Shanmugam faction has placed several conditions before Palaniswami, including appointing Velumani as Legislature Party Leader, Shanmugam as Deputy Leader, and forming a high-level committee to guide the general secretary in conducting party affairs. If sources are to be believed, Palaniswami has accepted these demands.
However, it remains to be seen if Palaniswami will be able to continue in his position as the party supremo, said insiders, adding Shanmugam is scheduled to hold further consultations in the coming days.