ADMK meet picks Edappady K Palaniswami as its supreme leader

Chennai, July 11

On expected lines, Tamil Nadu’s principal opposition party, the AIADMK, on Monday elected Edappady K Palaniswami (EPS) as its interim general secretary and vested in him full powers to helm the organisation.

In its Executive Committee and General Council meeting held here, the AIADMK endorsed scrapping the erstwhile top two positions of coordinator and joint coordinator held by O Panneerselvam (OPS) and Palaniswami, respectively.

The party has also formally resolved to hold organisational polls in four months to elect general secretary. It has amended several bylaws, which include fresh norms and prerequisites to fight for the top party position of general secretary.

In total, 16 resolutions were adopted. While Panneerselvam is the party treasurer, senior leader and former minister C Vijayabaskar presented accounts related to party finances in the meet. It is seen as a clear indication that OPS would soon be eased out of his position.

The first resolution extended its greetings to partymen elected in the recent organisational polls for various levels. The second resolution urged the Centre to confer Bharat Ratna on late leaders — social justice icon Periyar EV Ramasamy, Dravidian movement’s father figure CN Annadurai, and AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa.

Incidentally, Jayalalithaa helmed the party for decades as its powerful general secretary while her close aide, VK Sasikala, was made interim general secretary for a brief period following the former’s death in December 2016. 

Sasikala, who was later convicted and sentenced in a disproportionate assets case, was subsequently sacked from the post in 2017 by the then AIADMK general council.