EPS invites AIADMK dissidents back to party fold, move to weaken OPS

Chennai, July 12 (IANS) AIADMK General Secretary and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) on Tuesday invited the dissident leaders back to the party fold.

This is being seen as a political move by EPS to weaken the former coordinator of the party O. Panneerselvam(OPS).

Notably, several former leaders aligned with OPS, V.K. Sasikala and T.T.V. Dhinakaran and EPS want the dissidents back in the AIADMK fold.

The invitation has come after the Election Commission of India has recognised EPS faction as the original AIADMK and also put up the names of the party office-bearers in its original website.

After the removal of O. Panneerselvam and his associates from the party in September 2022, several court cases were filed against EPS and the official faction of the AIADMK.

The AIADMK lost all but one seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and the party wants to do much better in the 2024 general elections.

The move of EPS to invite dissidents is considered as a move intended to strengthen the AIADMK in the run upto the Lok Sabha polls.

With the AIADMK in a political alliance with the BJP at present, the party is trying to get maximum seats from the strongholds of both the BJP and AIADMK.

C. Rajeev, Director, Centre for Policy and Development Studies, a think tank based out of Chennai, while speaking to IANS said, “It is high time Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) reached out to the dissidents in the party and the move has created enthusiasm among the party middle and lower level leaders. This will help the AIADMK gain some lost ground in its territories.”

The move is likely to weaken OPS as the dissident leaders will be given proper accommodation in AIADMK once they are back.

Sources in the OPS camp, however, told IANS that the group will move ahead with its declared programmes and will strengthen the group in the days to come.

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