After a morning of ‘will-they, won’t-they’, the jubilation

After a nearly six-month lull, the AIADMK headquarters came alive on Monday, with supporters rejoicing over the merger of the party’s two factions.

After a late-Friday buzz regarding the union fizzled out, the momentum built up over the weekend, and the suspense continued to build on Monday, with both leaders — Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and his predecessor O Panneerselvam — holding talks with their supporters at their respective official residences. On Monday, party cadre began gathering at the AIADMK office.

The mood among the cadre at OPS’ residence swung between highs and lows as uncertainty continued on the merger. However, when three senior members of Palaniswami’s group — R Vaithilingam, Rajya Sabha MP; and ministers SP Velumani and P Thangamani — arrived at OPS’ residence at around 1.45 pm, the cadres turned jubilant.

Within minutes, word was out that a meeting between OPS and Palaniswami was imminent and so was the merger. OPS left for the party headquarters at around 2 pm as fireworks were set off and slogans supporting him rent the air.

At around 3 pm, both leaders smiled and shook hands in front of party leaders, formally sealing the merger.

Palaniswami announced the formation of a 11-member team to run the party’s affairs with OPS as the coordinator, and himself as joint coordinator. He would, however, continue to be Chief Minister with OPS, who has been CM thrice, having to settle for being deputy.

Addressing party leaders, OPS said that ‘the burden in my heart’ had gone. “We are all brothers and children of Amma,” he said, referring to the former AIADMK general secretary and chief minister, J Jayalalithaa, whose death in December last year sparked the infighting.

It was a day of high drama at the party headquarters. Since morning, party supporters began assembling in large numbers, with both Palaniswami and OPS expected to visit the headquarters a little past noon. However, when reports began coming in that talks had failed — over the expulsion of AIADMK interim general secretary VK Sasikala — news spread that the merger was unlikely on Monday.

However, at around 2 pm, the headquarters started to buzz with reports that the merger was on. While Palaniswami made a quiet entrance at 2.15 pm, OPS’ was a grand entry at around 3 pm, with party supporters raising slogans supporting him.

Both were at the headquarters for over 45 minutes and left separately to Jayalalithaa’s samadhi on the Marina, and from there to Raj Bhavan for the swearing-in ceremony OPS as deputy chief minister and K Pandiarajan as Minister.

18 MLAs back Dhinakaran Meanwhile, 18 MLAs supporting TTV Dhinakaran gathered at Jayalalithaa’s memorial on the Marina, and announced their intention to meet with Governor Vidyasagar Rao. While declining to detail what they planned to represent, Thangatamilselvam, MLA, said Dhinakaran had the support of 18 MLAs. “Why is it that EPS has brought in OPS, who has the support of just 10 MLAs?” he asked. The AIADMK’s bylaws do not give anyone the right to depose the Deputy General Secretary, he said.

Dhinakaran had himself tweeted that he would meet the media on Wednesday.

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