AIADMK’s Royal Rumble
Who will be the last man standing after today’s battle royal between EPS and OPS at the AIADMK’s General Council meeting? The duo has wrestled earlier also, but not in the General Council ring, where the party’s constitution itself could be amended to turn the AIADMK into a single-boss party again. While the court playing the referee and delaying the inevitable cannot be ruled out, and even as the other probable dark horses from within and outside the party await their turn, here’s a SWOT report on the key players.
CHENNAI: The followers of AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami are busy making last-minute efforts to ensure that the party’s General Council meeting on July 11 ends on a happy note.
For, much is at stake for the EPS supporters, whose prime agenda is to restore the single leadership in the party and crown their leader, former Chief Minister EPS, as the next general secretary. However, the party coordinator and three-time Chief Minister O Paneerselvam is a ‘never-say-die challenger’, and the political wrestling which started after the demise of charismatic Jayalalithaa in 2016 has now again run into legal turmoil.
Since the days of AIADMK founder MGR and late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, the party’s USP had always been single leadership. The party, known for its powerful single leadership, switched to dual leadership to keep the party united and to ward off threats from Sasikala and her ilk.
However, the party is now battered with faction feuds with one section led by EPS demanding single leadership and the other section led by OPS demanding a status quo and continuation of the dual leadership.
Under these circumstances, DT Next takes a look at the rank and profile of the AIADMK to explain who is what in the party and their strength and weakness. Who its next general secretary will be and who will lead the party is for the cadres and voters to decide, but, as of date, the Royal Rumble in the AIADMK revolves around five important characters, all claiming to be the followers of MGR and Jayalalithaa. Let’s make an analysis of their Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT).
Imaging by : Saai
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