AIADMK merger: O Panneerselvam and E Palaniswami. (Express Archive)
After months of political turmoil in Tamil Nadu, the two factions of AIADMK led by former chief minister O Panneerselvam and current Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami may finally formalise the deal for a merger on Monday. The two leaders are likely to arrive at the party headquarters in Chennai in the afternoon and hold talks. There is growing speculation that the Palaniswami camp may also make a big announcement with respect to jailed party Chief V K Sasikala.
The AIADMK faction of Panneerselvam has strongly demanded for Sasikala’s expulsion from the party as a prerequisite for the merger. Palaniswami has already delegitimised party’s general secretary and Sasikala’s nephew TTV Dinakaran through a resolution on August 10, paving the way for a merger.
However, a senior Palaniswami faction leader said the decision would be taken in a month. “We cannot remove Sasikala immediately even if OPS insists,” he said. According to sources, the OPS camp is learnt to have been promised that a presidium committee, co-chaired by OPS and EPS, would be formed to control the party’s affairs until the process of Sasikala’s ouster is complete.
Apart from ouster of Sasikala from the party, the OPS camp has also demanded a CBI probe into J Jayalalithaa’s death, and the post of either chief minister or party general secretary for OPS.
Read: AIADMK merger live updates
Meanwhile, preparations are underway in Chennai at the party headquarters where the two leaders are schedule to reach the final deal. Meanwhile, Governor of Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu C Vidyasagar Rao, according to his PRO, cancelled all his appointments in Mumbai and will soon be reaching Chennai. The merger is most likely to happen today as the two factions are allegedly under pressure from the BJP which has asked the party to announce the merger before BJP President Amit Shah scheduled visit to Tamil Nadu on Tuesday.
