After AIADMK leaders resolved leadership issue amicably by electing O Panneerselvam as Chief Minister, now focus shifted on the party leadership. Who will be the party’s new General Secretary, in the place of Jayalalithaa ?

Party leadership would be crucial to monitor affairs of the party and also the government. No doubt, as of now Chinnamma (Sasikala Natarajan) is playing crucial role. She only advised party MLAs to elect Panneerselvam as legislator party leader, when some of party MLAs proposed her name.

For the time being, her intention are only to facilitate smooth transformation of `succession’ in the party, without giving scope for confrontation. Party circles are admitting that she will become the power centre who will have the controls from the Poes Garden residence of Jayalalithaa.

Many in the party are proposing her to be the party general secretary. However, party sources feels she may choose her confident party’s senior MP and Lok Sabha’s deputy speaker M Thambidurai as party’s general secretary.

In this regard, BJP, which is eyeing on getting a strong foot hold in the state in the post-Jayalalitha period, seems to be preferring Chinnamma to take centre stage in the AIADMK. Its leaders feels that it would be `easy’ for them to manipulate her, rather than a `seasoned politician’ like Panneerselvam, who is having grassroots exposure. Moreover, it felt she can only keep the party intact.

In the present scenario, united AIADMK would be a boost for BJP’s political manipulations at national level too, particularly for the forthcoming Presidential polls. It may be recalled that the party is having a total number of 50 MPs in both houses of Parliament. Their support would provide upper hand against opposition onslaughts in Rajya Sabha for BJP.

Particularly, the BJP is also seems to be pushing the name, as he hails from the Kongu belt in western Tamil Nadu where AIADMK has a strong cadre base, an area that ranks high in BJP’s future politics.