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EPS camp writes to EC explaining AIADMK meetings on leadership
“As a response, EPS has sent an email to the election commission giving an intimation of what’s really happening,” said a senior AIADMK leader and a key supporter of EPS said on Wednesday. “We have the support of 2,441 general council members while OPS has support of around 60 members.”
A day after O Panneerselvam moved the election commission alleging violation of the AIADMK constitution, his rival camp led by Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS) on Tuesday wrote a letter to the poll panel explaining what is happening at the party meetings.
“As a response, EPS has sent an email to the election commission giving an intimation of what’s really happening,” said a senior AIADMK leader and a key supporter of EPS said on Wednesday.
“We have the support of 2,441 general council members while OPS has support of around 60 members.”
The AIADMK leader is tight-lipped about the contents of the email. But reports suggested that the email contains a dossier of 2,441 general council members wishing for scrapping of the dual leadership of OPS and EPS as the party’s coordinator and joint-coordinator and that they want EPS to be internally chosen as their unitary leading during the next general council meeting to be held on July 11.
Also Read | O Panneerselvam a ‘betrayer’: AIADMK's Palaniswami amid EPS feud
On Tuesday, EPS’ team also approached the Supreme Court to vacate a post-midnight order on June 23 of a division bench of the Madras high court which favoured OPS just hours ahead of the general council meeting. “OPS has lost political ground. So, his only option is to challenge us in courts on petty grounds but, what how can a court get involved in internal party disputes,” a leader on the EPS camp said wishing not to be named.
On June 22, a single bench of the Madras HC had refused to entertain team OPS’ plea to restrain the general council from passing any resolution other than 23 resolutions which had previously been approved by the dual leadership.
So, OPS faction challenged this and in in an urgent hearing held at 3.30am on June 23, the division bench passed a verdict in favour of OPS so EPS could not be elected on that day as the single leader.
During that meeting EPS supporter CV Shanmugam informed that all 23 resolutions were being rejected. The following day he informed the media that since general council did not adopt a resolution from December 2021 in which OPS and EPS were solidified as dual leaders the posts of coordinator and joint coordinator have ceased to exist.
This was the first among the 23 resolutions but it was altered when he was given a copy of it during the general council meeting, said OPS in his communication to the ECI.
On Tuesday, team OPS moved the Madras high court seeking contempt of court proceedings against the AIADMK office bearers. The petition challenges the discussion of EPS as the unitary leader during the election of presidium chairman Tamilmagan Hussain and calling for a fresh general council meeting on July 11 – all of which had happened on the June 23 meet.
