The O Panneerselvam camp of Tamil Nadu’s ruling AIADMK is considering issuing an ultimatum to the faction led by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, as it believes a deadline could break the deadlock on merger talks.

Though both factions have said they are open to discussing the possibility of a reunion, there has been little progress on the ground.

The OPS faction, which claims to have the support of the majority cadres, will go about “party work”, a reliable source told BusinessLine .

As a precondition for talks, the OPS faction is demanding that AIADMK General Secretary VK Sasikala and her nephew and Deputy General Secretary, TTV Dhinakaran, formally exit the party, and the Chief Minister order a CBI probe into the circumstances leading to the death of J Jayalalithaa, the former chief minister and AIADMK General Secretary.

The group led by the Chief Minister has refused to go all the way. Dhinakaran has agreed to ‘step aside’ from party activities, the validity of Sasikala’s election as party chief is before the Election Commission, and there a PIL is to be heard on the matter of Jayalalithaa’s death, they point out.

But all is not well for Chief Minister EPS’ faction. Sasikala is undergoing a four-year imprisonment for corruption and Dhinakaran is in Delhi Police custody as part of an investigation into alleged attempt to bribe the Election Commission. Dhinakaran is alleged to have tried to influence the EC into granting his faction the AIADMK’s ‘two leaves’ symbol.

Also, with the elections to local bodies in the offing, a split in the party does not bode well.

The EPS faction has called for unconditional talks. However, the group now has a wafer-thin majority in the 234-member Assembly with 122 MLAs. Main opposition DMK has also been attacking the government for governance and decision-making taking a backseat. A speedy resolution is critical but the OPS faction has time on its side, say party sources.

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