Chennai, June 29 (BPNS)

The Edappadi K . Palaniswamy faction of the AIADMK which has gained upper hand in the party, is trying to convince the former Chief Minister, O. Panneerselvam who has not yet relented to single-party leadership for the party.

Sources in the AIADMK told BPNS that senior leaders including former ministers, S.P. Velumani, P. Thangamani, and CVe Shanmugham met O. Panneerselvam at his daughter’s residence in Chennai but the senior leader did not relent.

It is to be noted that the AIADMK general council meeting will be held again on July 11 after a division bench of the Madras High Court had ordered that no change must be made in the resolutions adopted for the June 23^rd meeting. This had upset the move of the EPS faction to get the general council pass a new resolution making EPS the single general secretary of the party.

OPS has already appealed to the Election Commission of India against the appointment of A. Tamilmagan Hussain as the presidium chairman of the party and that no general council meeting could be held under his chairmanship.

The EPS faction has moved the Supreme Court against the Madras High Court judgment on June 23^rd early morning not to alter the resolutions. With the AIADMK politics turning murkier, the estranged interim general secretary of the party, V.K. Sasikala has commenced a state-wide tour touching to drum up support.

It may be noted that the powerful Thevar community to which both Sasikala and O. Panneerselvam belong and which is a major vote bank of the AIADMK in South Tamil Nadu is playing the mediatory role between the two.

Meanwhile, TTV Dhinakaran, nephew of Sasikala and the general secretary of the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK), has in a statement alleged that crores of rupees were being spent to fan up support from party office bearers to take control of party by an individual.

He also said that a certain individual was behaving like a demon to take over the top post of the party and added that June 23, when the general council meeting was held was a black day in the annals of AIADMK.

TTV Dhinakaran also lauded the boldness shown by O. Panneerselvam and AIADMK Deputy Secretary,  R. Vatihalingam, and JCD Prabhakar during the June 23^rd general council meeting conducted by an unscrupulous group and walking out.

The statement of Dhinakaran is seen as a major move of the political alliance between Sasikala and Panneerselvam to take charge of the AIADMK.