EPS wins in the AIADMK leadership battle. SC allows EPS to continue as AIADMK interim general secretary

Big win for the EPS faction as the Apex Court rules in his favor. Will this lead to a unification of the party?

February 23, 2023

Edappadi the winner

Edappadi Palaniswami wins the battle for AIADMK’s leadership. The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a Madras High Court order allowing former Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS) to continue as interim General Secretary of the AIADMK, establishing his position as the single, supreme leader of the party. The apex court’s judgment brought the end of a more than three-year-long battle between EPS and O Panneerselvam (OPS). With this judgment, OPS’ political career is coming to an end.

End of the road for OPS?

A bench of Justices Dinesh Maheshwari and Hrishikesh Roy, which had reserved judgment on the matter on January 12, dismissed the petitions filed by O Panneerselvam. “We have upheld the order of the division bench of the high court dated September 2, 2022, and made our earlier interim order permanent. We have not dealt with the matter of resolutions before the party that was being heard by the single judge. We leave it open for the said resolutions to be dealt with in accordance with the law,” the bench said.

The judgment came on a batch of pleas concerning amendments made to party bylaws during July 11, 2022, general council meeting, which elected Palaniswami, or EPS as he is known, as its single leader while expelling his rival Panneerselvam and some of his aides.

In Chennai, celebrations broke out at the AIADMK headquarters here after news of the Supreme Court ruling came in. Victorious Palaniswami said the ruling has unmasked “betrayers” and the “DMK’s B-team” that wanted to finish off his party. The favourable apex court was a result of the ‘divinity’ of party stalwarts, the late chief ministers M G Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa, he said.

OPS had won a minor battle in Madras HC but…

On September 2, a division bench of the Madras High Court allowed Palaniswami’s appeal, setting aside an order of the single judge who had nullified the July 11 General Council (GC) meeting of the AIADMK where the leader of opposition Palaniswami was elected the interim general secretary of the party. Panneerselvam (OPS), a Jayalalithaa loyalist who filled in for her as the chief minister when she was in jail over corruption charges, was expelled from the party.

What about the Sasikala faction?

The Division Bench had quashed the August 17 order of the single judge who had directed maintenance of status quo ante as on June 23, 2022. After Jayalalithaa’s demise, EPS became the Chief Minister with the blessing of Sasikala by removing OPS and OPS became his deputy. Later EPS and OPS joined together and removed Sasikala, who was imprisoned at that time. Under a reciprocatory arrangement, Panneerselvam was appointed the party coordinator and Palaniswami the joint coordinator, till they eventually had a falling out.

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