CHENNAI: The bypoll results have given new momentum to the challenges already faced by AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami. On Friday, the party was pushed to the third spot in both the constituencies it won this April, as its defectors who contested as TVK candidates won despite the “traitor” tag bestowed on them by the AIADMK.
The principal challenge before Palaniswami is to keep the party flock together, particularly the MLAs, amid the TVK’s growing influence. From 47 MLAs in April, the party’s strength in the Assembly remains at 41 following the defection of six MLAs – including K Maragatham Kumaravel (Madurantakam) and P Sathyabama (Dharapuram), both of whom have now emerged as TVK MLAs. On May 13, during the confidence vote, as many as 25 AIADMK legislators led by disgruntled leaders C Ve Shanmugam and S P Velumani voted in favour of the TVK government, defying the party whip.
Subsequently, six AIADMK legislators – K Maragatham Kumaravel, P Sathyabama, K S Jayakumar, Esakki Subaya, C Vijayabaskar and M R Vijayabhaskar – resigned from their Assembly membership and joined the TVK.
Since then, many AIADMK MLAs who supported the TVK government have remained silent, while some of them have returned to the Palaniswami camp. Though Palaniswami has been putting on a brave face so far, he may be forced to hold talks with the disgruntled party functionaries who have been biding their time to pounce on him.
The general perception is that victory of the two former colleagues may embolden more party MLAs to reconsider moving towards the TVK. Palaniswami needs to act fast to pre-empt any move against him, as rival leaders, including Shanmugam and Velumani, are likely to cite the bypoll loss as proof of his failed leadership.
When asked whether the bypoll defeat would ignite a crisis in the party, AIADMK lawyers’ wing secretary and MP I S Inbadurai told TNIE that the party cadre would always be with Palaniswami. “The TVK has ensured this victory by abusing power, and it came amid complaints about TVK distributing money to the voters,” he said.
Palaniswami in a statement described the TVK’s victory as a win for money power and a “murder of democracy”.
Dismissing the TVK’s victory in the AIADMK stronghold as temporary, he said voters had been swayed by the ruling party’s social media reels, and asserted that the AIADMK could not be destroyed.