Chennai: The AIADMK general council and executive committee are meeting here on 29 December amid wide expectation that the session would crown Sasikala Natarajan as party general secretary, the post held by Jayalalithaa till death.
As a preliminary preparation for the council session, the AIADMK leadership summoned all the district secretaries—numbering 50—besides party functionaries from eight states where the AIADMK has some presence for a meeting at the headquarters here on Friday. The meeting was presided over by AIADMK presidium chairman E. Madhusoodanan.
Sources said the district secretaries were given formal invitation letters meant for all the general council members in their respective districts for attending the meeting on 29 December. The district secretaries were told to hand over the invitations to the GC members with strict instructions that they should attend the session, being held at the Srivaru Venkatachalapathy Kalyana Mandapam at suburban Vanagaram. The invitations are not transferable.
Sources said the general council/executive session will most probably limit its agenda to passing two resolutions—condolences for Jayalalithaa and invitation to Sasikala to lead the party as the new general secretary. It is very likely that some of the speakers will exhort Chinnamma to take over the reins of the state administration replacing O. Panneerselvam as Chief Minister.
While the prospect of Sasikala becoming the party general secretary seems pretty strong as there is no sign of any challenge on the horizon, the chances of her replacing OPS as CM appear to be remote.
Waves of AIADMK members from the districts have been flooding the Poes Garden bungalow every day to stream into the portico and plead with folded hands with Chinnamma to lead them as the party general secretary. Though her detractors insist that these loyalty demonstrations have been orchestrated, the fact remains that Sasikala has tightened her grip over the party. Her vast experience in administering party affairs as a virtual number-two to Jayalalithaa and the fact that she knows all those who matter in the AIADMK—even handpicking some of them for plum positions—should make it a cakewalk for Chinnamma to be crowned as leader by the general council session on 29 December.
