Tamil Nadu: Palaniswami named CM candidate for 2021 Assembly elections

Incumbent Chief Minister K Palaniswami was on Wednesday named by the AIADMK as the partys Chief Ministerial candidate for the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections ending a brewing crisis triggered by differences between him and his deputy O Panneerselvam over the leadership issueThe two top leaders buried the hatchet and reached a workable understanding as AIADMK coordinator Panneerselvam himself announced the name of Palaniswami while the latter declared constitution of a 11member Steering Committee acceding to a long pending demand of the former During AprilMay next year the assembly elections are due in Tamil NaduIroning out differences in parleys over a week involving Ministers and party leaders the twin announcements have removed intraparty roadblocks for the AIADMK in gearing up with gusto for the Assembly elections next yearFlanked by Palaniswami and other senior leaders at the party headquarters Panneerselvam said I am happy to announce that our dear brother Palaniswami will be the victorious Chief Ministerial candidate of the AIADMK for the 2021 Assembly electionsInstantaneously jubilant party cadres at the headquarters and across the state burst crackers and distributed sweets plunging into celebrations while office bearers who had gathered at the crowded hall in the office gave a thunderous applause welcoming the decision Full of bonhomie Panneerselvam popularly known as OPS said the decision has been taken unanimously in consultations led by party presidium chairman E MadusudananThe move is significant as the issue would have cast a shadow over the AIADMKs prospects in the polls next year had it not been resolved and it also has ended a nearly two month long speculation over the matterThe Deputy Chief Minister said apart from him and Palaniswami party deputy coordinators K P Munusamy R Vaithilingam senior leaders and members of the Steering Committee have unanimously resolved to nominate Palaniswami as the AIADMKs Chief Ministerial candidateThe panel which is expected to play a key role on important party matters comprises Ministers Dindigul C Sreenivasan P Thangamani S P Velumani D Jayakumar C Ve Shanmugam and R Kamaraj Also party organising secretaries J C D Prabhakar P H Manoj Panidan and P Mohan former MP R Gopalakrishnan and MLA Sholavandan constituency K Manickam are the other members of the committeeThe setting up of the panel is as per an earlier AIADMK general council resolution Palaniswami said The six Ministers and five other officebearers are seen as loyalists of Palaniswami and Panneerselvam respectivelyLater Palaniswami and Panneerselvam alongwith Ministers and party leaders paid floral tributes at the memorials of late AIADMK icons M G Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa at the Marina beachfront It is a practice among Dravidian parties to pay homage at the memorials of leaders while taking important decisionsLater Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar told reporters that rivals and betrayers had a wishful thinking of problems erupting in the party over the leadership issue so that they could derive political mileage and it has not happened He said the choice of the CM nominee and constitution of the panel were based on consultations and consensusThe churning in AIADMK over the CM candidate began on August 10 with Minister for Cooperation Sellur K Raju saying that elected MLAs would choose the Chief Minister following the Assembly elections next year if his party was voted to power againAIADMK leader and Minister K T Rajenthra Bhalaji contradicted his colleague and pitched for projecting Palaniswami as the Chief Ministerial candidate to emerge victorious in the next year pollsOne leader after the other began airing their views and party deputy coordinator Munusamy seen as a confidant of Panneerselvam said the AIADMK top leadership would decide the CM choice A poster war later erupted with a section of partymen projecting Palaniswami for the top post and others rooted for PanneerselvamThe September 28 AIADMK Executive Committee Meeting saw a verbal duel between Palaniswami and Panneerselvam over who should be the Chief Ministerial candidate and on setting up of the panelOn that day the party said its CM choice for 2021 polls would be declared on October 7 and from that day consultations began Amid discussions though Forest Minister Sreenivasan told media that Palaniswami would be the CM nominee others said such publicutterances should be avoidedWhile Palaniswami became the Chief Minister months after the demise of party supremo Jayalalithaa the factions led by him and Panneerselvam merged in August 2017 easing out V K Sasikala Jayalalithaa aide and her kin from the partyKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest newsThis story has been sourced from 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