AIADMK’s key 2-day meet begins today amid internal competition over RS nominee
Chennai: AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) will preside over a two-day closed-door meeting with senior leaders and district secretaries at the party headquarters in Chennai on Thursday and Friday.
The agenda includes reviewing the party’s preparedness for the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections and finalising the candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha biennial polls scheduled for June 19.
The party, which is entitled to contest one of the two seats currently held by its members, has yet to announce its nominee.
The term of sitting MP N. Chandrasegharan is set to end soon, and the leadership is weighing its options carefully amid heightened internal lobbying.
Among the frontrunners is senior leader and AIADMK presidium chairman A. Tamilmagan Hussain, although multiple contenders have emerged, bringing factional equations into play.
Unlike DMK chief M.K. Stalin, who swiftly announced three Rajya Sabha candidates and allocated the fourth seat to MNM leader Kamal Haasan without much internal dissent, EPS is navigating a more delicate situation.
The selection process has brought to the surface internal power dynamics, with different factions within the party pushing for their preferred candidates. Adding to the complexity is the uncertain status of a second Rajya Sabha seat currently held by PMK’s Dr Anbumani Ramadoss.
While the seat is technically not up for grabs by AIADMK, party insiders believe it may be negotiated depending on the evolving alliance arithmetic ahead of the Assembly elections.
A senior leader noted that EPS remains firm on not extending accommodation to the DMDK, citing its reduced influence and electoral relevance in the current political climate.
The two-day meeting will begin with EPS interacting with secretaries from 42 district units on Thursday, followed by discussions with the remaining district secretaries on Friday.
The sessions will involve a comprehensive review of the party’s organisational structure, including an assessment of booth-level committees and youth wing activities, which are expected to play a vital role in the upcoming polls.
The outcome of the deliberations is expected to signal the AIADMK’s strategic direction and internal cohesion as it gears up for an electoral battle that could redefine the state’s political landscape.
