Single or dual leader: Crucial AIADMK meet tomorrow

Party top brass, including MLAs, district secretaries, ministers and state-level officers are expected to participate in the deliberations.

With rebel leaders, including MLA VV Rajan Chellapa coming out in the open against the dual leadership model of the AIADMK and blaming it for the party’s dismal performance in the recently conducted polls, highly placed sources said that the leadership would hear out the opinion of the district secretaries before coming to a decision on whether to continue with the present leadership model or not.

“Amid rebel voices demanding single leadership for the AIADMK, the functionaries will also discuss the debacle in the recent Lok Sabha polls and will analyse the strategy for the upcoming civic polls,” an informed MLA who has received the invitation, said.

He said that discontent was brewing in the party after AIADMK convenor O Paneerselvam openly promoted his son O P Ravindranath for a ministerial berth in the centre. “This has not gone well among the party old timers. Majority of the ministers have already started throwing their weight behind Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami,” the legislator said.

Senior minister CV Shanmugham had on Monday told reporters that the party will discuss key issues at the meet but evaded queries on single leadership. However, in a veiled attack targeting OPS, the minister said that the AIADMK will not promote nepotism and will be party driven by the wish of thecadre following the footsteps of party leaders MGR and Jayalalithaa.

Party sources also hinted that a section of the AIADMK top brass, especially those loyal to convenor OPS, was trying to sidestep the issue of dual leadership and instructed party functionaries not to rake up the issue now.