Opinion: Will Sasikala unite the AIADMK or divide it? 

Kalyani Shankar By Kalyani Shankar Will V.K. Sasikala, the close aide of late Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalitha unite the AIADMK or divide it?  That is the question that is dogging the party, of late. The controversial leader, who announced that she would not dabble in politics six months ago, has been making waves in the AIADMK party in the past few days. ‘Chinnamma”, as she is called,  has come back to politics with a punchy slogan “Naam Ondraaga Vendum; Kazhagam Vendraaga Vendum’ (We have to be one, and we must win).
Her argument is that the party should have one leader at the top. Presently there are two leaders steering the party. She indicates that she is ready to take over.
As the AIADMK slipped into its golden jubilee year on October 17, Sasikala, who was removed as the party’s interim general secretary four years ago, revealed her solid political plan. She vowed to register a massive win for the party in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections with her unity mantra.
The factionalism in the AIADMK has the potential to split the party vertically. Today, former chief minister E.Palaniswamy  (EPS )needs the party, but three times chief minister O.Panneerselvam (OPS) needs the party even more. Sasikala has concluded that she, too, needs the party. For nearly six months, ‘Chinnamma’ has been sending signals that she is eager to regain control of the AIADMK. So there is a fight among the three groups – EPS, OPS and Chinnamma.
The party is yet to put its house in order after losing the state assembly polls early this year. With its poor performance in the recently-conducted local body polls, some have started to feel that if Sasikala takes over, things will be set right and the dual leadership of OPS and EPS is not working. She also seems to have the blessings of the BJP. The EPS group naturally resists this violently. Though both EPS and OPS have vociferously said in the past that there is no place for Sasikala in the party, the OPS faction is wavering. It appears the OPS faction has become soft following her visit to console him after his wife’s death in September. OPS wants EPS out at any cost.