AIADMK sets sail with captain Edappadi K Palaniswami; O Panneerselvam gets steering panel

CHENNAI: The AIADMK on Wednesday announced Edappadi K Palaniswami as chief minister candidate for the 2021 assembly election, an unusual exercise for a party once led by M G Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa, whose leadership was seldom challenged. The AIADMK conceded to the demand by deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam by constituting a steering or advisory committee and nominating 11 members to it. Both the moves mark milestones in the annals of the AIADMK, reiterating the dual nature of its leadership.

The announcements put an end to wrangling between the EPS and OPS-led camps that had lasted several weeks. On Tuesday, the discussions that began in the morning after OPS returned from Theni picked up pace and went on till the early hours of Wednesday. After the formal announcement at the AIADMK headquarters in Chennai around 9.45am, the leaders, accompanied by scores of partymen, left for the Marina to pay respects at the memorial of MGR and Jayalalithaa.
Earlier in the day, Panneerselvam, flanked by ministers and senior leaders, declared that a consultative meeting chaired by party presidium chairman E Madhusudhanan, and attended by office-bearers of the headquarters, besides the newly appointed members of the steering committee, unanimously resolved to project Palaniswami as the chief minister candidate for the upcoming election. “I am happy to announce the party’s victorious candidate, joint coordinator Edappadi K Palaniswami,” Panneerselvam said, evoking applause from the functionaries.
Prior to the announcement, Palaniswami said the consultative meeting chaired by Madhusudhanan resolved to nominate the members of the steering committee. The members include ministers Dindigul C Sreenivasan, P Thangamani, S P Velumani, D Jayakumar, C Ve Shanmugam, R Kamaraj of the EPS camp, and former MLA J C D Prabhakar, former MPs P H Manoj Pandian, R Gopalakrishnan, former minister P Mohan and Sholavandan MLA K Manickam representing OPS camp. Neither was there a representation of women nor anyone from the Muslim community. The marathon discussions among the OPS and EPS groups culminated at 3am on Wednesday, after leaders struggled to give due representation to caste, religion and region. “The opposition’s dream (to seek political gains out of infighting in the ruling camp) will not materialise,” Panneerselvam told reporters, after announcing the CM candidate. The deputy CM said he had announced the party’s CM candidate happily. Later, in the evening, Palaniswami met Panneerselvam at the latter’s residence and thanked him for the gesture.
At the party headquarters, Panneerselvam said former CM and DMK founder C N Annadurai scripted history as a common man reaching great heights. MGR founded the AIADMK as a people’s movement and won the assembly elections thrice to work for people and deliver several welfare measures. Later, Jayalalithaa steered the party for three decades, overcame the challenges thrown her way and took the party to heights that no rival could attain.
“The dream of MGR was that the party and the government should remain in the hands of cadres, which is being realized now. We are running the party and government well,” OPS said. With the party planning to set up several committees in the run up to the polls, leaders said due representation would be given to those who were left out.