Chennai: The dissident camp within the AIADMK that has been opposing party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) has decided to maintain patience and keep its activities subdued for about a year, according to party sources.
The group, led by former ministers C V Shanmugam and S P Velumani, has remained largely quiet in recent weeks. Meanwhile, EPS has been meeting functionaries district by district to consolidate his side, and the dissident camp is said to have weakened after some MLAs who were earlier aligned with it attended EPS-led meetings.
AIADMK circles said around 25 MLAs were once considered part of the dissident camp, but six—including former minister Vijayabaskar—have since joined TVK. The same sources claimed that the dissident camp did not receive backing from BJP leaders in Delhi for further action against EPS, contributing to its current restraint.
The dissidents are believed to be waiting for a situation such as a by-election, which they feel EPS may struggle to win, potentially weakening his position. In this context, Velumani has reportedly asked his supporters to attend the Coimbatore district functionaries’ meeting scheduled for July 23, while Shanmugam is said to have opposed the wait-and-watch approach and asked his supporters to stay away from the Villupuram district meeting on July 24.
