Two leaves come together: O Panneerselvam gets party reins, Sasikala supporters feel isolated

OPS announced the merger between the two factions at the party office.
Both the factions had reached an agreement over the probe initiated in Jayalalithaa's death case.
The status of expulsion of Sasikala and the offices that party members are likely to hold are unclear.

Two leaves come together O Panneerselvam announces merger

After a series of faltering and delays, the warring factions of AIADMK have finally joined hands. "Amma's blessings and wishes of party cadres made this possible," said O Panneerselvam as he was being congratulated by all for uniting the two factions.

OPS will be the deputy CM and will also handle the finance portfolio. He is also likely to take charge as the party coordinator, helped by a coordination committee. As part of the pact, three OPS supporters will be ministers. It is said that Maharashtra Governor CH Vidyasagar Rao, who has additional charge of Tamil Nadu, has cleared the appointments.

The merger, indeed, has come with a series of steps taken by both the factions. Most recently, on Thursday Palaniswami announced that an enquiry commission will be set up under a retired judge to probe into the December 2016 death of Jayalalithaa.

However, there have been no clear messages pertaining to the expulsion of Sasikala from the party and the offices that party members will hold. Their fate will be decided in the party's general body meeting. In an interview to Indian Express, AIADMK Rajya Sabha MP Vaithilingam has said that Sasikala will be removed from the post of AIADMK General Secretary soon. TTV Dhinakaran's reaction to the same is also unclear and so is the position of his "sleeper cells" within the party echelons and the 20 MLAs who back him.

The current Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, who was an ardent follower of Sasikala is believed to have agreed to distance the party from Sasikala. However, the OPS faction of the party had been emphatic about an unambiguous and public declaration of Sasikala's expulsion. In fact, with the merger TTV Dhinakaran and Sasikala supporters are wondering they are being sidelined and are expecting to be called in for a merger as well.

[Read: AIADMK Merger Takes A U-Turn? Dhinakaran's Trump Cards Come In The Way ]

[Read: AIADMK-Amma To Nullify Sasikala Appointment, Merger With OPS Faction Likely Today]

[Read: AIADMK merger: Is OPS eying for a bigger position than just deputy CM?]

Last Updated Mar 31, 2018, 6:48 PM IST