With Justice Krishnan Ramasamy of the Madras High Court set to deliver his verdict at 9 a.m. on Monday on the validity of the AIADMK general council meeting scheduled to begin at 9.15 a.m. at a private wedding hall at Vanagaram, Chennai, the camps led by warring leaders Edappadi K. Palaniswami and O. Panneerselvam spent anxious moments on Sunday.
Mr. Panneerselvam, who is hopelessly outnumbered in the general council as was evident from the June 23 meeting, has challenged the event convened by the party headquarters office-bearers. Mr. Palaniswami is hoping that his bid to become the supreme leader by throwing out the dual leadership would fructify at least on Monday. Both camps remained busy through the day, preparing to face the outcome of the legal battle.
Should the court give the green signal for the meeting without conditions, the general council is expected to create the post of interim general secretary and Mr. Palaniswami is likely to be elected to the post, marking the revival of the unitary leadership after five years.
Senior leaders backing Mr. Palaniswami visited the venue on Sunday to review the arrangements. Over 2,500 delegates are expected to attend the meeting. Arrangements have been made to allow members of the party’s general and executive councils into the venue only after checking their radio-frequency identification (RFID) cards.
After last month’s general council meeting, former Minister C. Ve. Shanmugam accused party colleague R. Vaithilingam (a strong supporter of Mr. Panneerselvam) of using Mr. Panneerselvam’s vehicle to enter the venue instead of joining other delegates.
Unlike the last general council meeting at which banners and posters, featuring late leaders M.G. Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa, besides Mr. Palaniswami and Mr. Panneerselvam, were displayed, the banners put up this time at the venue as well as near M.G.R. Maaligai, the party’s head office on Avvai Shanmugam Salai in the city, avoided Mr. Panneerselvam.
On June 23, Mr. Panneerselvam, who is opposed to unitary leadership, and his supporters were booed by a majority of the delegates. Subsequently, it was argued that he and Mr. Palaniswami ceased to be the coordinator and the co-coordinator because the general council had not ratified the amendment to the by-law that facilitated their election by a single vote last year.
Mr. Palaniswami, as the party’s headquarters secretary, chaired a meeting at the party head office on June 27. Mr. Panneerselvam called it invalid as it was held without his authorisation as the coordinator. Both sides took the battle to the courts. Mr. Panneerselvam also approached the Election Commission of India.
Mr. Vaithilingam told journalists that Mr. Panneerselvam continued to be the coordinator and “some 2,600 people” from the party could not do anything against him. Indications are that Mr. Panneerselvam and his supporters may skip the meeting as they have called it “illegal”.
