With AIADMK deputy general secretary T.T.V. Dinakaran entering the fray in the Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagar Assembly constituency, observers feel that if he wins, it would trigger calls within the party to make him the Chief Minister replacing the incumbent Edappadi K. Palaniswami.
Mr. Dinakaran, however, claimed on Wednesday that he nurtured no such ambitions.
Countering this claim, political commentator Gnani insisted that if Mr. Dinakaran wins, he would be eventually made Chief Minister. “The party is clearly moving towards the idea of making him the Chief Minister.” Mr. Dinakaran’s denials are not final.”
A political commentator, who requested anonymity, said naming Mr. Dinakaran as the AIADMK candidate for the R.K. Nagar byelection “is clearly an attempt to legitimise his control over the party and the government.” In case he is elected an MLA, it would be a matter of time before he takes up the reins of the government.
“When you lead the party in the Assembly, you don’t tell someone to do things a certain way; you will do it yourself,” the political commentator added.
‘Let’s wait and see’
When asked about this possibility, senior AIADMK Minister O.S. Manian, who was one of those who batted for unity of command in the party and government in the case of Sasikala, said, “We will see after he becomes MLA.”
Mr. Manian is confident of Mr. Dinakaran’s victory. “R.K. Nagar is our fortress. The constituency was won by huge margins twice by none other than Amma (Jayalalithaa). So, the people are very much our supporters. We will win the seat for sure.”
However, answering persistent queries at a press conference, Mr. Dinakaran said it was only because of the “actions of the then Chief Minister” (O. Panneerselvam), some senior Ministers and party functionaries had urged Sasikala to take over. “But now, party workers, general public and you [media] are supporting Annan Edappadi K. Palaniswami, who is leading the government... Our CM, the AIADMK’s Chief Minister is Annan Edappadi K. Palaniswami,” he added.
