AIADMK Factions Move To Unite Under Panneerselvam Leadership; Sasikala, Dinakaran To Be Ousted? 

Chennai: The political scenario emerging in Tamil Nadu following the Delhi police booking a criminal case against TTV Dinakaran on charges of bribing the Election Commission officials for the party symbol 'two leaves' on Monday gives scope to speculations of both the factions being united under the former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam sans Sasikala and her nephew.

Several senior Ministers met and had a brainstorming to resolve the crisis brewing in the party and came up with a possible solution.

The meeting is reported to have come up with this solution - first to avoid the ongoing crisis in the party and secondly, to get rid of the negative image appended to the party because of Sasikala and her family. In fact, a nasty showdown in the VK Sasikala family on Monday posed a threat to the stability of the Edappadi K. Palaniswami government. And there could be no better opportunity for the Chief Minister to stabilize his position - by getting rid of all possible threats to his position, to neutralize Mannargudi Mafia and by joining hands with all his old colleagues.

While both the AIADMK factions - one led by TTV Dinakaran as deputy general secretary in the absence of jailed Sasikala, and the other by Panneerselam - are claiming to be the legitimate entities as the original party, the case is pending with the Election Commission of India to decide which one is original and which group the party symbol belongs to.

The criminal case against Dinakaran comes in this context - Delhi police filed the case against him on the charges of luring EC officials with the help of a middleman named Sukesh Chandrashekhar who was already arrested for taking money AIADMK leader for the purpose.

Also read: Sukesh Chandrashekhar: The 27-Year-Old Conman Who Promised AIADMK Two Leaves Symbol From EC

The Ministers met at the residence of Electricity Minister K. Thangamani late on Monday night and Finance Minister D. Jayakumar told reporters later that modalities were being worked out to pave the way for the merger of the two factions.

Earlier in the day, Panneerselvam had expressed confidence that the Dhinakaran faction leaders would approach him for merger talks.

"If approached, we are ready to sit and talk and I have confidence that they (leaders) will come (for talks)," he told reporters at the airport here.

Modalities to strengthen the party and to run it with unity were discussed, said Jayakumar.

Earlier in the day, speculations swirled about a possible pact between Palaniswami and Panneerselvam under which both VK Sasikala, the jailed AIADMK general secretary, and Dhinakaran, her nephew and deputy, would be ousted.

Unconfirmed reports had it that under the arrangement Palaniswami would continue as Chief Minister while Panneerselvam would occupy the coveted post of AIADMK general secretary, which was held by J. Jayalalithaa till her death last December.