Assembly dates expected in AIADMK meet today

After the humiliating defeat in the recently conducted Lok Sabha elections, many dissenting voices have come up in the party about the leadership and the Rajya Sabha berth. Several disgruntled senior party leaders, who are upset over the recent electoral loss, have started to blame the BJP for the loss.

Recently, Madurai North MLA Rajan Chellappa voiced for a single leadership and he was supported by several party functionaries. Rajan Chellappa also convened a meeting of district union secretaries stressed his idea. 

Similarly, senior party leaders who were either not given the seat in Lok Sabha elections or who lost the elections are now pressurising the party leadership for a berth in Rajya Sabha. Along with the issues, the issue of Ministerial berth at the Centre for the AIADMK will also come up in the meeting. 

Party sources said that after the election results the party functionaries were expecting on the announcement of a meeting to discuss the reason for electoral loss and to discuss the electoral ties with the BJP, but even after 15 days of results there were no word on such a meeting. However, immediately after dissenting voices were heard within the party about the party leadership, a meeting has been called for. 

Sources also said that senior party leaders, including former Lok Sabha speaker M Thambidurai, senior AIADMK leaders Gokula Indira, Maithreyan, Anwar Raja, Tamizhmagan Hussain and several others are demanding Rajya Sabha seats for them. Apart from them, BJP is also pressurising the AIADMK for a seat and as already AIADMK had promised a Rajya Sabha seat for PMK, the party is in a tight situation for selecting a Rajya Sabha berth. 

In the meantime, sources in Secretariat said that the date for Assembly session on demand for grants is likely to be announced after the end of the party meeting.