Madras HC order puts EPS in driver’s seat, AIADMK gets a direction

This is the first time the party has a general secretary with absolute powers after the demise of former chief minister and party general secretary J Jayalalithaa.

After Jayalalithaa’s death in 2016, her close aide V K Sasikala had assumed the position of interim general secretary. However, an internal coup, backed by the BJP, led to her ouster along with her nephew, T T V Dhinakaran, from key positions in mid-2017. This resulted in a dual leadership within the AIADMK, with O Panneerselvam – or OPS – and Palaniswami as coordinator and joint coordinator, respectively.

Panneerselvam, who previously held the top post, was removed from his position and party membership during a party general council meeting on July 11, 2022. Although the lack of support within the party appeared to signal the end of Panneerselvam’s political life in AIADMK, Palaniswami grew stronger due to the support of office-bearers, district bodies, and elected members, despite his electoral defeats in 2019 and 2021.

While the party general council meeting declared unconditional support for Palaniswami’s single leadership last year, his position remained unsettled as the state government and the Election Commission were hesitant to acknowledge the change in party leadership due to multiple legal battles initiated by the Panneerselvam faction. Even last week, Palaniswami had to raise a strong protest in the Assembly after the Speaker allowed Panneerselvam to speak on behalf of the opposition AIADMK.

The latest Madras High Court order, which dismissed all petitions against the decisions and resolutions passed in the July 2022 general council meeting, marked the last leg of a losing battle for the Panneerselvam faction, which includes leaders such as P H Arvindh Pandian, R Vaithilingam, and J C D Prabhakar, who were the petitioners as well.

After suffering a major setback last month, when the Supreme Court upheld the validity of the July 11 general council meeting, the case was dragged to the court again when Pandian filed another civil suit on March 2, challenging the resolutions passed at the meeting. These resolutions expelled four leaders, including Pandian, from the AIADMK’s primary membership and abolished the dual leadership structure, reviving the general secretary post to be elected by the party’s primary members.

Palaniswami’s appointment as general secretary signifies a consolidation of power within the AIADMK and has the potential for a more unified direction for the opposition party as it has cleared the way for him to become a leader with absolute power for the first time since J Jayalalithaa’s death. The party had previously experienced a dual leadership structure following an internal coup that ousted interim general secretary Sasikala and T T V Dhinakaran.