Chennai: A tweet by dairy development minister Rajenthra Bhalaji saying that they would face the next Assembly elections by projecting Edappadi K Palaniswamy as the chief ministerial candidate came as a surprise to many within the AIADMK and outside of it on Tuesday.
Seen as a reply to Cooperation Minister Sellur K Raju, who had, told the media in Madurai that the party would win the elections and the MLAs would then select the chief minister, suggesting that there were resentments within the party over the leadership, Bhalaji’s tweet pointed to some internal differences.
Or, was the tweet aimed at dispelling all doubts about the AIADMK leadership within and outside the party? Perhaps it was also aimed at putting speculations at rest and reaffirm the party’s faith in the leadership of Palaniswamy. For, Bhalaji makes it very clear that the party would enter the electoral battle with their target fixed.
Palaniswamy would lead the ranks from the front, Bhalaji said in the tweet, exuding confidence in winning the elections in 2021.
Otherwise, however, no cracks had been visible in the AIADMK party structure with all party communique signed by both deputy coordinator Palaniswamy and coordinator O Pannerselvam and all Ministers swearing by the Chief Minister’s leadership in government while making announcements relating to their portfolios.
