Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, who took over the reins of the administration last week, is the only person in the last 49 years who will not be heading the ruling party.
Second line leaders have been pushing for V.K. Sasikala to succeed late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa as general secretary of the AIADMK.
As a result, concerns are being raised on whether Mr. Panneerselvam would be able to balance his equations with his party leadership and run the government as well.
Three challenges
“Being the first Chief Minister in the last 49 years, who is not the head of the party, Mr. Panneerselvam would have to face three segments — his own party and its leadership; the government, a major institution that delivers the goods; and the 89-member DMK on the floor of the Assembly,” pointed out P. Ramajayam, Assistant Professor, Centre for Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy, Bharathidasan University in Tiruchi.
Though the party image would depend entirely on his governance, it is hard to predict if the Chief Minister would have control of his party and the Cabinet.
The other important task facing the Chief Minister is to keep the party organised and carry the same spirit forward.
If the Chief Minister remains influenced by the party general secretary, the AIADMK as a party wouldn’t face any issues, but the AIADMK government’s image would suffer, he argued.
However, political commentator Rajan Kurai Krishnan, who teaches at the Ambedkar University in Delhi, says lack of hold on the party may not really matter for Mr. Panneerselvam.
Division of labour
“There can be a reasonable division of labour between the Chief Minister and the head of the party. After that, it would not mean anything for the government whether the Chief Minister is also head of his/her political party,” he contended.
Asked if Mr. Panneerselvam would be able to control his party, he said, “I don’t think he would want to keep the party in his control. I don’t think he would even try for it.”
Power centres
When asked if Mr. Panneerselvam would have restrictions in running the government, party spokesperson Dheeran said, “There cannot be many power centres like the DMK. Ours is a party with military-like discipline.”
“If the general secretary of the party says something, the Chief Minister has to naturally listen,” the spokesperson added.
