The warring factions of AIADMK - one led by current Tamil Nadu chief minister E Palaniswami and the other by late CM Jayalaithaa's loyalist O Panneerselvam - announced party merger sidelining V K Sasikala. Panneerselvam has been appointed the deputy chief minister as well as the convenor of the party while Palaniswami became the co-convenor. An 11-member coordination committee will lead the party.
The political situation in Tamil Nadu went off track after Jayalalithaa's death in December last year. O Panneerselvam who was the interim chief minister, when Amma was in the hospital, was removed by Sasikala. Not only did she suspend Panneerselvam, but she made Edappadi Palaniswami the chief minister and even brought in her nephew TTV Dinakaran into the party who was suspended by Amma back in 2011.
10 thing to know about the merger:
- OPS accepted the post of deputy chief minister and became the party coordinator as well. An 11-member coordination committee with three senior leaders will be appointed as joint coordinators.
- O Panneerselvam has been given the Finance portfolio and made Deputy CM. The swearing-in took place at 4.30 pm on Monday, August 21.
- On Friday night, August 18, party men had gathered at J Jayalalithaa's memorial on the beachside. The merger failed to take place reportedly because of some unresolved demands.
- One of the key conditions that Panneerselvam's camp laid down for the merger was the expulsion of Sasikala, who had handled the reigns of the party to become the CM.
- Sasikala's plans crashed after she was sentenced to jail on charges of corruption. Before going to the jail, Sasikala had appointed Edappadi K Palaniswami as the chief minister.
- TTV Dinakaran, Sasikala's nephew, whose post in the party is threatened, had been rallying his supporters to put up a fight. He even went and met Sasikala in jail.
- Reports say that possibly after the merger, it will be decided who will be the signing authority and whether OPS will return as AIADMK general secretary.
- On Saturday, August 19, OPS said that the talks for the merger were on as it was a desire of the people of Tamil Nadu.
- If the parties approach the election commission to withdraw their earlier petitions then the "two-leaves symbol" will be re-assigned as the AIADMK party symbol, according to an NDTV report.
- The Modi government had been reportedly trying to reunite the two factions. Before the merger, Edappadi Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam had individually met Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
