AIADMK Selects EPS as Leader of Opposition in TN Assembly

Edappadi K Palaniswami was chosen over O Panneerselvam to be the Leader of Opposition in TN Assembly.

Tamil Nadu’s former Chief Minister K. Palaniswami

(Photo: Twitter@CMOTamilNadu)

Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami was chosen as the Leader of Opposition for the state’s Legislative Assembly on Monday, 10 May. The decision was taken by All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) MLAs at a meeting held at the party headquarters.

Currently, former deputy Chief Minister O Paneerselvam is the coordinator of the party and Palaniswami is its co-coordinator.

Ever since the AIADMK won 66 seats in the 2021 TN Assembly elections and emerged as the principal Opposition, both Palaniswami and Panneerselvam camps have been deliberating over choosing an Opposition leader.

While Palaniswami camp wanted him to head the Opposition, the OPS camp wanted Paneerselvam to take the lead. OPS too was keen to become the leader of Opposition.

TN's first Assembly session is set to take place on 11 May.

According to a report in The Hindu, the issue of having a single leader for the party was raised at a meeting on Friday, 7 May. However, the party could not arrive at a conclusion and ended up witnessing heated arguments.

During the meeting, over 60 of the 66 AIADMK MLAs were in support of Palaniswami, and did not want to hold further discussions. This led to heated arguments, which finally came to a conclusion after the discussants making phone calls over the weekend, party sources told The News Minute.

For now, the party has put off the decision regarding single leadership. More clarity on this issue is likely to arrive this week.