Is AIADMK Inching Close to Stability as EPS Beats OPS in the Leadership Battle?

AIADMK leadership row: Madras High Court orders EPS to continue as General Secretary

A still of Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) dressed as AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran following the Madras High Court verdict on the AIADMK leadership case.

(Photo: Twitter)

The Madras High Court handed a big win to the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) leader Edappadi K Palaniswami, popularly known as EPS, as the court dismissed the plea of rival O Panneerselvam (OPS) challenging the former's elevation to the party’s general secretary post.

On Tuesday, 28 March, the HC rejected the interim applications filed by OPS and his supporters PH Manoj Pandian, R Vaithilingam, and JCD Prabhakar against the AIADMK general council resolutions adopted on 11 July 2022 and the general secretary elections.

Following the legal win, celebrations broke out at the AIADMK headquarters. EPS wholeheartedly thanked the party cadres and functionaries for their support. As reported by India Today, he told reporters:

After several difficulties, fulfilling the leader’s dreams, I've won the general secretary post.

Edappadi K Palaniswami, General Secretary of AIADMK

What is the leadership tussle in AIADMK all about? Even since the demise of former Chief Minister and AIADMK General Secretary J Jayalalithaa in December 2016 and the expulsion of her aide VK Sasikala from the party in 2017, AIADMK party had adopted a dual leadership model, according to which OPS was appointed the coordinator of the party and EPS the joint coordinator, leaving the post of general secretary vacant. 

However, the EPS faction soon took firm control over the party, gaining the support of the majority of the party cadre, which paved the way for the leadership tussle with OPS. It is to be noted that on 23 February this year, the Supreme Court upheld the Madras High Court's 2 September order allowing EPS to remain the AIADMK general secretary.

The protracted drama that unfolded as a result of the leadership feud between the two leaders finally came to an end with the affirmation from Madras High Court again. On 18 March, Palaniswami filed his nomination for the AIADMK general secretary post. He was elected to the general secretary post unopposed.

Though it seems like the AIADMK reaches stability with respect to the leadership issue, it is not likely to end here as the OPS faction will now move a two-judge division bench, which will hear the matter Wednesday.

Speaking to The Quint, senior political journalist Mayilai Balu said, "Stability is a mandatory quality for any political party. As far as the AIADMK is concerned, the party lost its foundational strength right after former Chief Minister J Jayalalitha's demise. The party failed to create a strong successor. Neither OPS nor EPS proved as a second-rank leader who could hold the party together. That is precisely the reason why there is a long leadership battle within AIADMK".

The verdict from the Madras high court announcing EPS as the party chief might seem like AIADMK is inching towards stability. However, is it really?

Balu said that it is just a temporary fix to decide on a single leadership. "We never know how long EPS will stay in this position. Apart from OPS, there are many who seem to aspire for the party’s chief chair, including the AIADMK’s MLAs Jayakumar and KP Munusamy, who have been seen making many strong political statements in recent times, Sasikala, and TTV Dhinakaran," he added.

"The question we need to ask here is, does EPS winning the general secretary post add value to strengthening the AIADMK party? The answer, in my opinion, is no. Remember Jayalaithaa’s powerful electoral campaign in 2014? She asked, "Who is a better administrator? Is it Gujarat’s Modi or this Tamil Nadu lady?" Fast forward to 2022, and the AIADMK is in alliance with the BJP. Especially after the alliance with a right-wing party like the BJP, the AIADMK party cadres and its voters are still confused and not quite certain of the future of the Dravidian party. The BJP has been trying to take advantage of this instability in the AIADMK and create an upper hand in its alliance."

Mayilai Balu, Senior Political Journalist

Balu further added that in the present political scenario, many who oppose the BJP are allegedly facing income tax raids and lawsuits. "Rahul Gandhi’s defamation case is a perfect example. This kind of aggressive politics that is being adopted by the BJP, which is in power at the Centre, has indirectly put a lot of pressure on leaders of all parties. Despite many statements from the BJP’s Annamalai about the desire to go alone in the upcoming assembly elections, EPS has been silent and hasn't spoken against the alliance with its partner, BJP," he added. According to Balu, EPS is clearly in damage control mode, operating in fear to retain his position in the AIADMK, and not very concerned about the party at the moment.