CHENNAI: The general council meeting of the AIADMK is taking place on November 24, after a gap of two years. The last meeting of the general council and executive committee of the party was held on September 12, 2017 in which V K Sasikala was relieved from the post of interim general secretary of the party and Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam were appointed as the coordinators of the party.
The general council meeting is being convened as it is mandatory for the AIADMK as per the rules of the Election Commission. Last year, the party had got permission from the EC to defer the meeting.
When the AIADMK faction led by Panneerselvam merged with that of led by Palaniswami on August 21, 2017, it was announced that a 11-member steering committee comprising of senior functionaries would be
appointed to guide the party. However, the committee has not been formed till date. This committee is likely to be announced during the general council meeting on November 24. Also, the meeting is expected
to discuss the strategies facing the elections.
The first general council meeting after the death of J Jayalalithaa, the then general secretary of the AIADMK, was held on December 29, 2016 and it handed over the party leadership to VK Sasikala. The
resolution in this regard said Sasikala had accompanied Jayalalithaa during the past 33 years and had wide experience in managing the party affairs."We saw MGR in the person of Amma and now let us see
Jayalalithaa in the person of Chinnamma", the resolution added.
However, in a turnaround of events, the general council of the party which met within nine months, on September 12, 2017, removed Sasikala from the post of interim general secretary of the party besides abolishing the post of general secretary in reverence to Jayalalithaa. That general council also approved Panneerselvam and Palaniswami as coordinator and joint coordinator of the party and accorded all powers
of the general secretary on both of them.