Chennai: Chief Minister and DMK president M K Stalin today paid floral tributes to the mortal remains of AIADMK presidium chairman E Madhusudhanan.
Stalin visited the Tondiarpet residence of Madhusudhanan and expressed condolence to his family members and party leaders including former Chief Ministers Edappadi K Palaniswami and O Paneerselvam, sources said.
Madhusudhanan was 80. He was keeping a low profile for the last couple of years due to age-related ailments.
He was recently admitted to Apollo Hospitals after he complained of breathing problems and was put on ventilator support. He breathed his last last afternoon.
His death was confirmed by the AIADMK in a Twitter post. He has been serving as the presidium chairman since 2007 and the party followed late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa’s wish that Madhusudhanan would remain the presidium chairman as long as he is alive.
Madhusudhanan was a close confidante of MGR and was one of the founding members when the latter formed the party.
When the AIADMK suffered a split after Jayalalithaa’s death, Madhusudhanan threw his weight behind former CM O Panneerselvam, before the warring factions– the other headed by the then Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami– merged.
The Election Commission in fact handed over the AIADMK flag and the symbol to Madhusudhanan when the two factions merged after a brief split in 2017.
Madhusudhanan was one of the party’s stalwart in North Chennai, who began his political entry, by forming the MGR Mandram at the age of 14 and has served as member of the now defunct Tamilnadu Legislative Council.
Earlier, when the AIADMK had suffered a split after the death of MGR, Madhusudhanan supported the faction headed by Jayalalithaa.
Madhusudhanan had served as Handlooms Minister in the first government headed by Jayalalithaa between 1991 and 1996.
Last month, expelled AIADMK leder V K Sasikala called on him at the hospital and enquired about the treatment being given to him.