Posters that have surfaced in Theni supporting Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu O Panneerselvam as the Chief Ministerial candidate for the assembly election 2020 has created a controversy in the ruling AIADMK party. Theni is the home turf of Deputy Chief Minister OPS and he has been operating out of the district for many years. While he was re-elected from Bodinayakanur constituency in Theni in 2016, his son, the lone AIADMK Member of Parliament, OP Raveendranath was elected from Theni constituency.
The buzz over the Chief Minister candidate has already begun as the state is set to face the assembly election in May 2021 .
It started when the Minister for Milk and Dairy Development Minister KT Rajenthra Balaji first took to Twitter to state that AIADMK will face TN Assembly Election 2021 under the leadership of Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami. In a tweet, Rajenthra Balaji said, “Edappadiar (Chief Minister Edppadi K Palaniswami) is always the Chief Minister. Let us set the goal and take the field. Let us create a stage by presenting Edappadiar. Let us form a team, Let us win. 2021! Is ours.”
However, Fisheries Minister Jayakumar on Wednesday said that the tweet by Minister Rajenthra Balaji was his independent statement and cannot be taken as the party’s statement. He also said that decision taking bodies of AIADMK will meet and decide on the next Chief Minister candidate.
Even though the Minister immediately addressed the media as an act of damage control. The statement has created a tussle within the party. Soon after this, the AIADMK party members in Theni have pasted posters in the home turf of the Deputy Chief Minister.
One of the poster pasted by the AIADMK members said, “The only Chief Minister OPS ayya, who received for blessing of Puratchi Thalaivi (J Jayalalithaa) #2021CMForOPS.”
The poster was circulated by Kenjampatti villagers of Bodi in Theni district. It is widely known that no such poster would have been put up in this manner without tacit approval from OPS, and this has rung the emergency bells in the party. On Saturday morning, at least 7 ministers held multiple meetings with OPS and CM Edappadi Palanisamy, going from one residence to the other.
Theni is the home turf of Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam. He was voted to power from Theni, twice from Bodinayakanur and twice from Periyakulam constituency. O Panneerselvam has also served as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu when the then Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa was sent to the prison in the disproportionate assets case and later after her demise.