AIADMK under pressure to bring in Sasikala to party fold

Sasikala

The opposition AIADMK, battered and bruised in back-to-back polls since the 2019 general elections, is trying for a make-over, but the lack of unity among its top leaders, O Panneerselvam and K Palaniswami, is creating issues for the party. The AIADMK, wants to bring in a high-level performance in the upcoming urban local body elections scheduled in a couple of months' time. But there needs to be unity at the top which, however, is lacking in the party.

While VK Sasikala was expelled from the party and both Panneerselvam and Palaniswami were opposed to her entry, after the rural local body elections to the eight districts, there is a rethinking in a section of the party leadership led by Panneerselvam. Panneerselvam and Sasikala belong to the same Thevar community which has considerable influence in southern Tamil Nadu, the forte of the former Chief Minister, where there has been a lot of pressure from the community elders for re-entry of Sasikala into the party fold.

The recent Christmas wish of Panneerselvam calling for forgiving the past mistakes and a new beginning is being read by many as a sign of the former Chief Minister providing an extended rope to the expelled Interim General Secretary of the party to make a comeback. However, senior leaders of the AIADMK, including former ministers, D Jayakumar and CV Shanmugham, have openly expressed strong opposition to Sasikala's re-entry.

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