Chennai, May 12 A major crisis within the AIADMK is likely to erupt into open confrontation in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, as rival factions led by former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) and senior leader S.P. Velumani have staked claim to the party’s leadership in the House, triggering intense political and legal debate.
The crisis unfolded during the Assembly proceedings on Monday after both Palaniswami and Velumani separately approached Pro-tem Speaker Karuppiah, each claiming to command the support of the majority of AIADMK MLAs and asserting their right to lead the party in the Assembly.
The unprecedented development has created uncertainty over who would be officially recognised as the AIADMK Legislature Party leader and who would exercise powers such as appointing the party whip and representing the party’s position inside the Assembly.
Political circles in Chennai are closely watching the developments, with legal experts pointing out that the Speaker’s decision could have significant implications for the future of the party.
According to constitutional experts, the process of recognising a legislative party leader generally begins with elected MLAs meeting after the election to choose one among them.
The chosen leader then formally communicates the decision to the Speaker. In most cases, the recommendation of the party’s top leadership or general secretary is also endorsed by MLAs through a formal resolution.
However, the situation becomes legally complex when the party leadership and a majority of MLAs back different individuals.
Experts said such disputes effectively turn into leadership battles, leaving the Speaker with the responsibility of determining which faction represents the “real political party”.
Legal observers noted that Supreme Court judgments in several political disputes, particularly in Maharashtra, have held that the decision of the “real political party” carries significant weight in determining legislative leadership.
At the same time, they emphasised that legislative strength inside the Assembly also plays a critical role.
Experts explained that if more than two-thirds of the MLAs -- in this case, at least 32 of the AIADMK’s 47 legislators -- formally break away and claim to be the original party or merge with another formation, the situation could attain legal protection under anti-defection provisions.
Until such a threshold is reached, legal experts said the authority to appoint the whip and officially determine the party’s stand in the Assembly would continue to rest with the party’s recognised general secretary.
They added that MLAs acting independently against the officially recognised leadership could face action under the anti-defection law.
With both factions now openly challenging each other, the Speaker’s decision is expected to become crucial in determining the balance of power within the AIADMK.
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