CHENNAI: The AIADMK on Wednesday formalised its dual leadership by making a vital change to the bylaws in the party constitution - i.e, the coordinator and joint coordinator will be elected directly by primary members of the party. Hitherto, according to bylaw No.20 (a) (2), the coordinator and joint coordinator could be elected by members of the general council.
The executive committee meeting of the party at the AIADMK headquarters here passed a special resolution to this effect. Rule No.43 gives powers to the general council to create new bylaws and remove the existing bylaws. Similarly, Rule No.45 gives powers to the coordinator and joint coordinator to relax any bylaw or give exemption from any bylaw. However, under these bylaws, Rule No.20 (a) (2) which mandates the election of coordinator and joint coordinator by the primary members by a single vote cannot be altered.
These amendments to the bylaws come into force with immediate effect and will be ratified by the ensuing general council meeting. A release from the AIADMK headquarters here said these amendments have been carried out after considering the demands from primary members of the party and getting the views of all executive committee members.
The special resolution was proposed by deputy coordinators KP Munusamy and R Vaithilingam, former Ministers Dindigul C Seenivasan, KA Sengottaiyan and C Ponnaiyan, MGR Mandram secretary A Thamizh Magan Hussain and former Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal, with all executive committee members seconding it.
Talking to The New Indian Express, senior journalist GC Shekher said, “During the times of party founder MG Ramachandran, the general secretary was elected only by the primary members. Later, the bylaw was changed giving powers to the members of the general council to elect the general secretary. Now, the party is going back to the MGR formula.”
Shekher also said the present move can be construed as formalisation of dual leadership for the party hereafter. There were some aspirations within the party for a single leadership. Now, with this change in bylaws, it has been made clear that the dual leadership would continue. Also, by amending Rules 43 and 45, the election of coordinator and joint coordinator by primary members has been made an ironclad rule.
Asked in what way this move would prevent VK Sasikala’s efforts to capture the party, Shekher said, “If the general council members are to elect the party coordinator and joint coordinator, a section of them can be influenced. If the primary members elected the top two leaders, influencing them may not be possible.”
Political analyst Tharasu Shyam said, “In the initial years of the AIADMK, MGR felt that the general council members of the party can be influenced by outsiders. So, from November 1, 1976, he brought in a bylaw to the party constitution that the general secretary of the party should be elected only by the primary members of the party.”
Shyam is of the view that the present amendment to the bylaw effected by the executive committee of the AIADMK may not stand the test of the law. “A member cannot be compelled to elect two persons together even if he does not like any one of them. It is against natural justice. Significantly, the bylaw amendment has come a few days ahead of the city civil court's expected verdict on whether Sasikala has the right to file a case regarding the AIADMK's affairs," he said.
Meanwhile, A Thamizh Magan Hussain, one of the founding members of the party, has been appointed as the interim presidium chairman of the party at the executive committee meeting. He was greeted by party leaders O Panneerselvam, Edappadi K Palaniswami and others. Former presidium chairman of the party E Madhusudhanan died four months ago.