Palaniswami chairs crucial AIADMK meet of top office-bearers amidst challenge from rebels

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Tuesday chaired an interactive meeting with the frontline office bearers of the party including district secretaries against the background of demand from rebels, who have extended support to the TVK government, to convene the general council meeting.

The meeting, held for nearly two hours, was attended by about 80 district secretaries, former minister B V Ramana said. All the office bearers and cadres solidly stand with Palaniswami, and the party would work out a strategy to emerge victorious in the coming days.

''Over 80 district secretaries attended the meeting. A few could not attend as they were not able to arrive at the party headquarters on time,'' Ramana told reporters.

AIADMK leader M V Rajan Chellappa said the AIADMK has resolved to strive unitedly under the leadership of Palaniswami with unwavering dedication. ''We will be steadfast in extending our full support and cooperation to strengthen the hands of our general secretary and former Chief Minister,'' Chellappa said on 'X.'.

Meanwhile, AIADMK Praesidium Chairman, Tamilmagan Hussain, also extended his support to Palaniswami.

The former Chief Minister has extended an olive branch to dissenters on May 18 by asking them not to become fireflies, and began hearing the views of the top party functionaries at the party headquarters.

He had earlier announced that the meeting would be held at his Greenways Road residence here.

However, he arrived at the party headquarters accompanied by his followers.

The top AIADMK leader had replaced the secretaries of 26 districts, including 12 legislators who voted in favour of the TVK government during the floor test on May 13.

The breakaway group led by former state ministers, including C Ve Shanmugam, S P Velumani and Dr C Vijayabaskar, who have been stripped of their party posts, are gearing up to convene the general council meeting, seeking to completely back the Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay-led TVK government, a move staunchly opposed by Palaniswami.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)