EPS, OPS sidestep internal tussle, working on ways to save govt

According to confidential AIADMK sources, Chief Minister Palaniswami is focussed on the number arithmetic and the recent notice by the Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal is also a strategy to keep the flock together.

Parleys have also begun in the AIADMK and they are reaching out to the dissent AIADMK MLAs VT Kalaiselvan, E Rathinasabhapathi and VT Prabhu who are showing allegiance to the rebel AMMK leader TTV Dhinakaran.

“Minimum four, maximum 8 and then the anti-defection law is the strategy,” a party senior said explaining that to save the government there must be at least four new MLAs from the 22 vacant seats. The AIADMK leaders also believe that eight victories along with anti-defection law will ensure that the DMK cannot bring down the AIADMK government till 2021.

Palaniswami is also going the extra mile and is focussing more on Sulur, Ottapidaram and Tiruparankundram seats eying at least two victories from the May 19 bypolls. The AIADMK, in a joint statement by CM Palaniswami and Deputy CM Panneerselvam, had also appointed former AIADMK district secretary PA Arumugha Nainar as an additional poll manager to strengthen the Ottapidaram election committee. For his part, Deputy CM Panneerselvam had also briefed the Centre about theupcoming elections and the likelihood of the government’s stability threatened after bypoll results on May 23.

Panneerselvam had also reached out to the BJP leaders at the Centre and is pinning hopes that the BJP will continue at the Centre so that the Deputy CM can use his good office to ensure that there is no unnecessary headache from Raj Bhavan on the state’s government simple majority issue. If elected to Lok Sabha Panneerselvam’s son P Raveendranath will also be a regular visitor to Delhi to liaison with the BJP leaders, AIADMK insiders told DT Next.