Chennai witnessed fresh political churn on Tuesday after AIADMK leaders CV Shanmugam and Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) met Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker J.C.D. Prabhakar separately over the appointment of the party’s legislature party leader.
According to sources, the developments come amid talk of renewed internal differences in the AIADMK following its recent Assembly election defeat. In an interview, former minister and Mailam MLA CV Shanmugam indicated that SP Velumani would be named as the AIADMK legislature party leader, a move seen as challenging EPS’s leadership.
After the Assembly session ended, Shanmugam met the Speaker along with supporting MLAs and submitted a letter stating that SP Velumani had been chosen as the legislature party leader and Vijayabaskar as the whip. Following the meeting, Shanmugam and Velumani-led AIADMK MLAs paid respects at the Jayalalithaa and MGR memorials at Marina.
Later, MLAs backing EPS also met the Speaker separately and handed over a letter stating that EPS had been appointed as the AIADMK legislature party leader. EPS subsequently met the Speaker as well.
The parallel submissions have sparked debate in political circles, with party workers expressing concern that a new factional dispute—after the earlier OPS–EPS rift—may be emerging within the AIADMK.
