As the formalities, associated with the announcement of the results of the General Election 2019, have been completed, politics in Tamil Nadu is agog with speculation about the constitution of the new Council of Ministers and the possible names of representatives from the State.
The lone AIADMK member to win from Tamil Nadu in the general election is Raveendrakumar, son of Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam who defeated EVKS Elangovan, the Congress leader and former Minister. Interestingly, Elangovan is the lone candidate from the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance who lost in the hustings.
Though the AIADMK has 13 member in the Rajya Sabha, it is customary that only members from the Lok Sabha are appointed as Ministers. But there are no hard and fast rules vis-Ã -vis the membership in the upper house. Raveendrakumar is the junior most member of the AIADMK in the parliament and there are enough contenders for the post from the Rajya Sabha itself.
Even if the AIADMK leaders propose the name of Raveendrakumar as the party nominee, there are certain irritants which would make the BJP leaders think twice before accepting the name. The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) is probing a charge by the DMK against Panneerselvam and family in connection with the amassing wealth not in rune with their known sources of income. Though the Tamil Nadu Government tried to soft pedal the issue, the Madras High Court issued a directive to the DVAC to go ahead with the probe and the report is expected any time.
But the loyalty of most of the AIADMK members in the Rajya Sabha are said to be with V K Sasikala and TTV Dhinakaran, leaders of the AMMK. Dr V Maithreyan, the senior most AIADMK member in the Rajya Sabha has been sidelined by Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswamy and O Panneerselvam. His services were not used during the recently held election. Dr Mythreyan, who was a close confidante of late J Jyalalitha had told The Pioneer that there was no possibility of him getting another term as the EPS-OPS duo does not like him. Many senior members of the party had been cold shouldered by the present party leadership.
Sources in the AIADMK told this newspaper that MPs like S R Balasubramaniam (who is known from crossing from one party to another with élan), A Navaneethakrishnan (former advocate general and close confidante of Sasikala) are the top contenders for ministerial berths. Both Balasubramaniam and Navaneethakrishhanan remained incommunicado.