AIADMK former coordinator O. Panneerselvam’s plans to work together with AMMK general secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran and AIADMK former interim general secretary V.K. Sasikala may help his group gain a considerable number of votes in southern districts of Tamil Nadu, according to deputy coordinator of his group J.C.D. Prabhakar.
However, the State secretary of Amma Peravai in the AIADMK and former Revenue Minister, R.B. Udhayakumar, who represents Tirumangalam, Madurai district, in the Assembly, dismisses the assessment of his former colleague and says the plans of the former Chief Minister will not work.
Setbacks
Mr. Panneerselvam’s decision comes after a series of setbacks he suffered in courts over the months. Besides, the Election Commission having taken on record the AIADMK’s resolutions — adopted at the general council meeting in July last, wherein Mr. Panneerselvam was expelled from the party along with a couple of his associates — did not help the case of the deposed coordinator.
A few weeks ago, the discussion that Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP national president J.P. Nadda and State president K. Annamalai held only with AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami and his team in New Delhi signalled that Mr. Panneerselvam’s run of luck with the national party might be approaching an end.
‘It won’t happen’
Aware of all these aspects, Mr. Prabhakar hopes Mr. Panneerselvam’s willingness to collaborate with Mr. Dhinakaran and Ms. Sasikala will make the BJP realise that any electoral understanding with the AIADMK, leaving out the three leaders, will not be a “winning combination”.
But Mr. Udhayakumar argues the proposed coalition will not be able to win any seat, going by the AMMK’s performance during the 2019 Lok Sabha and 2021 Assembly elections. “Perhaps, its objective is to spoil the chances of our party which, however, will not happen,” he adds.
