Heading towards its golden jubilee, AIADMK has abandoned its five-year experiment with dual leadership o Expel Panneerselvam, one of its charioteer. Edappadi K. Palaniswami, a former casual chief minister, with a strong political survival instinct, Will now lead the party as interim general secretary, In 2017, when a three-way split threatened his new government, he prudently accepted a BJP-facilitated arrangement in which he and Mr. Panneerselvam would share similar organizational powers. Realizing the need for disproportionate compromises to such shared leadership, Mr. Palaniswami conspired to put an end to it. After earning the trust of legislators through “decentralization of resources” during his rule, he adopted the same strategy to strengthen his party base. vehemently opposed the attempts by Jayalalithaa’s friend VK Sasikala to gain control of the AIADMK; maintaining social distancing with the ruling DMK; And did not give much land to the BJP during the seat-sharing talks, worked for their benefit. On the contrary, Mr. Panneerselvam came across as a person reluctant to give money to party allies; deliberately maintaining ambiguity on Ms. Sasikala’s position; Keen to do the BJP’s bidding, and extend camaraderie to the DMK leaders. Several prominent leaders who stood by him during his tenure. ‘Dharma Yudham’ Against Ms. Sasikala, feeling isolated, switched camps.
Nevertheless, the transition to unitary leadership in a party used to being herd by the supremo since its inception in October 1972 has not been smooth. Mr. Panneerselvam made a futile bid to maintain the status quo in the party, through the courts, to maintain the status quo in the party. Earning the will of the general council of majority and judicial reprimand. At the time of Mr Palaniswami’s coronation, he forcibly entered the party headquarters amid violent clashes, forcing the premises to be sealed. He has approached the Election Commission of India to set aside the decisions of the General Council. Apart from meeting these legal challenges in time to face the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the party’s current patron will have to do a balancing act in dealing with strong sub-regional satraps from the Gounder, Mukulthor and Vanniyar communities. With the primary members being elected as general secretary within four months, a wide section of district secretaries supported his nomination, according to the amended bye-law, which may help in the pursuit of Mr. Palaniswami’s supremacy. With fewer supporters of the result, Mr. Panneerselvam’s most famous identity is that of a dutiful Jayalalithaa loyalist. Mr. Panneerselvam may try to gain political legitimacy through the legal route. But apart from hampering the functioning of AIADMK for a few more months, there is little he can achieve. Any long-term disruption in the party, which has ruled for a record 31 years, could permanently change the bipolar nature of politics in Tamil Nadu.