EPS and OPS put on a united show for party cadres, media and people of Tamil Nadu
Chennai:
Despite all the buildup that led to the announcement, Tamil Nadu’s ruling AIADMK which named incumbent Edappadi Palaniswami as its top ministerial candidate for next year’s elections came as no surprise.
Since Mr. Palaniswami, or “EPS”, is already the prime minister, publishing any other name seven months before the elections would have caused a lot of confusion in the party.
The important thing is that the party chose to end all speculation long before the polls.
The view that Senior Deputy Minister O Panneerselvam or “OPS” wants to be the leading candidate for office has gained popularity since posters appeared in mid-August in his Periyakulam constituency.
The talks took place until early Wednesday morning, according to NDTV sources. What OPS got at the end of lengthy discussions was a steering committee it had called for in 2017, when it called for a truce with EPS and returned to the party fold.
So the duo put on a united show for party cadres, the media, political observers and the people of Tamil Nadu. Finally, EPS announced the members of the steering committee and PAHO announced the candidate for chief minister amid cheers and applause.
What is significant is that even on the 11-member steering committee, six members are considered EPS supporters. Therefore, the prime minister is likely to have the upper hand not only in government, but also in party affairs.
What has not been detailed are the powers of the steering committee and the role it will play in choosing the party’s candidates for the elections. It is not clear if it will be just a forum to vote on contentious decisions on which there is no agreement between the first two.
For all practical purposes, it is EPS Vs MK Stalin of the opposition DMK in the race for Prime Minister.
The release from jail of AIADMK chief VK Sasikala, who was expelled in January, may cause some rumors within the party and government ahead of the elections, given her notorious control over party leaders and caste equations.
EPS would expect the influence of Sasikala and his nephew TTV Dhinakaran to be minimal. There are reports that EPS also wants to keep its distance from the BJP.
Sasikala and OPS belong to the same Thevar community. Despite the fact that OPS had fiercely opposed his takeover of the party and government, there have been suggestions that OPS had recently contacted his nephew Dhinakaran.
In this context, the role of the BJP could be critical in the coming months. The perception in Tamil Nadu is that OPS has the support of the BJP. If the BJP were to back Sasikala-Dhinakaran, with the Senior Deputy Minister in the mix, there could be problems for EPS.
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