Chennai: A last minute tension prevails in the ruling AIADMK, with tomorrow being the deadline to declare the party’s Chief Minister candidate.
Deputy CM and party’s coordinator O Panneerselvam reached Chennai from his native Periyakulam last night. Today, important discussions are slated to be held between top AIADMK leaders.
Panneerselvam, who had thrice served as the CM, in a tweet on Monday said till now all the decisions he had taken was keeping in mind the interests of the people of Tamilnadu and the AIADMK cadres.
“It will continue to remain so hereafter,” he said, dropping indications that the open face off he had with joint coordinator and CM Edappadi K Palaniswami on the CM nominee for the Assembly polls in the last week’s executive committee, has been settled.
Quoting Lord Krishna’s versus in Bhagwad Gita, he said, “whatever happened has happened well. Whatever is happening it is happening well. Whatever will happen will also happen well,” he said, in a virtual climbdown from his hardened stance that he was running for the post of Chief Minister in the elections.
Panneerselvam’s announcement comes in the backdrop of hectic parleys in both the camps over the last couple of days, with senior Ministers being closetted with Palaniswami and the loyalists of the Deputy CM holding discussions with him in his native Theni district.
After the heated arguments both the leaders had on the issue of the Chief Minister candidate at the Executive meeting, which lasted close to five hours last week, Palaniswami, Panneerselvam, Deputy Coordinator K P Munusamy and senior Ministers jointly held crucial discussions.
The meeting witnessed considerable debate with a section of the Ministers wanted to make an announcement to put at rest the debate on the CM candidate issue.
Emerging out after the meeting, Munusamy said a decision on the Chief Minister candidate would be announced on 7 October jointly by Palaniswami and Paneerselvam.