ADMK meet Thursday may finally settle row, EPS likely to have his way

The party has had a dual-leadership arrangement since 2017. Senior AIADMK leaders told The Indian Express that EPS is likely to pass the resolution for single leadership at the party meeting.

Top party sources told The Indian Express that OPS, who also held the Chief Minister post several times stepping in on Jayalalithaa’s behalf, only enjoys the support of three of the party’s 66 MLAs now, 10 of its 75 district secretaries, and 150 to 170 of its 2,500 general council members.

Following Jayalalithaa’s death in 2016, the two camps had agreed on joint leadership — with OPS becoming the coordinator and EPS the joint coordinator – so as to keep out Jayalalithaa’s close aide V K Sasikala, who had assumed the position of the AIADMK’s interim general secretary.

The truce was at the time mediated by the BJP, with OPS leading the talks every step of the way. Last week, OPS recalled this, citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s role in him taking over the Deputy CM post, leaving the CM rank for EPS.

But the tables have turned, and how. The BJP is now said to be talking to EPS, given OPS’s weakened position. OPS is now said to be in touch with a senior Chennai-based RSS leader, while EPS point of contact is state BJP chief K Annamalai.

AIADMK spokesperson D Jayakumar attacked OPS, accusing him of maintaining links with Sasikala and others who were ousted from the party. “I am not criticising him but the order that sacked them from the party said nobody should maintain a link with them. If the party coordinator itself is doing that, what does it mean?” said Jayakumar on Tuesday.

While there has been no official comment from EPS himself on the agenda for Thursday’s meeting, his group has been busy preparing. Senior politician and former deputy speaker Pollachi V Jayaraman recently passed a resolution favouring a single leadership system, while K P Munusamy, the deputy coordinator, inspected the meeting venue on Monday, suggesting that there were no plans for a postponement.

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Former minister and AIADMK Thiruvallur district secretary P Benjamin has petitioned the Madras High Court for police protection at the meeting venue, citing allegations that OPS might provoke law and order issues to prevent a decision. “We have solid evidence that expelled members and other political parties are planning to disrupt the meeting,” the petition says.

The EPS camp believes that trouble might also come from the ruling DMK and the Sasikala-TTV Dhinakaran faction.