chennai: The AIADMK on Monday elected Edappady K Palaniswami as its interim General Secretary abolishing the dual leadership model in the main opposition party in Tamil Nadu, and also expelled O Panneerselvam from the party's primary membership for allegedly acting against its interests.
A meeting of the AIADMK's General Council(GC) picked Palaniswami, 68, as its supreme leader and vested in him full powers amid a prolonged internal power struggle shortly after the Madras High Court rejected Panneerselvam's plea to stay the meeting of the rival faction. A single judge held that the courts will certainly refrain from interfering with the private affairs of the party.
Ahead of the GC meeting in a marriage hall, violence involving the supporters of Palaniswami(EPS) and Panneerselvam(OPS), who are bitter rivals, broke out in and around the AIADMK headquarters in Chennai after which the premises was sealed by authorities. Some people also reportedly sustained injuries.
The AIADMK, which endorsed a resolution scrapping the erstwhile top two positions of Coordinator and Joint Coordinator held by Panneerselvam and Palaniswami respectively, has strived hard to maintain unity after the death of its supremo and chief minister Jayalalithaa on December 5, 2016.
In a counter move, Panneerselvam "expelled" Palaniswamy from the primary membership party.
Both Palaniswami and the 71-year-old Panneerselvam are former chief ministers. Panneerselvam had also stood in for Jayalalithaa as chief minister on three occasions and was a trusted loyalist of the late leader.
The AIADMK also formally resolved to hold organisational polls in four months to elect a General Secretary.