Tamil Nadu: EPS stronger after double bypoll win

CHENNAI: For the AIADMK, the victory in Vikravandi and Nanguneri assembly bypolls is not merely an act of trouncing the DMK. It is rather an act of stemming its own decline. The captain, Edappadi K Palaniswami, has given hopes to the party cadres that the AIADMK would not be consigned to history after his government’s term ends.

The AIADMK secured 60% of the votes in Vikravandi and 56% in Nanguneri.


People took Edappadi for an accidental CM, when he was given the mantle by V K Sasikala in 2017. But his demeanour since then shows the windfall was not accidental for him. He worked his way through in his inimitable style. For a whole year, Edappadi chose to nurture Salem and surrounding areas in western Tamil Nadu to carve out a constituency for himself. Meanwhile, to ward off any threat to his government, he struck a deal with O Panneerselvam. It was too late by the time OPS realised the deal was designed to Edappadi’s advantage. Next, he ousted T T V Dhinakaran, who posed the biggest threat to his position, and chipped away his AMMK.

As regards Sasikala, he seems to have other plans. Even when the less prudent among his colleagues lashed out at her, Edappadi chose to keep mum. The grapevine in the party is that a trusted messenger of Edappadi has been regularly meeting Sasikala in Parappana Agrahara Prison in Bengaluru. Already, there are talks within the party about Sasikala’s return to the fold on her release from the prison, whenever it happens.

He learnt from follies. Taking cue from the criticism that he was behaving like chief minister of Salem, Edappadi changed tack in his second year in office.

“Edappadi has a simplistic way of functioning. He does not promise tall things like waiver of farm loans and education loans. Since he knows his limitations, he promises only what he can deliver ,” said a former private secretary to a senior state minister.

“If one looks at the popularity quotient of all Tamil Nadu politicians, Edappadi is the only leader whose popularity has been growing in the last two years. For others, it is either stagnant or is on the decline,” he added. EPS has demystified governance. If his predecessors were inaccessible, EPS is easily accessible, said an aide of the CM.

His makeover for the foreign trip and the successful conduct of the India-China informal summit at Mamallapuram have given him some heft in the party.

Edappadi’s colleagues have already started ‘EPS for 2021’ campaign. If K T Rajenthra Bhalaji had taken the lead on this a week ago, on Friday another minister P Thangamani joined the bandwagon. “This victory is a recognition for EPS’s governance. The winning streak will continue in the local body polls and the 2021 assembly elections. EPS will be the party’s CM candidate for the next elections also,” Thangamani told TOI.

The party’s winners from Nanguneri and Vikravandi drove down to Salem on Friday to call on Edappadi. It is pertinent to note that their first port of call was not Theni. Giving an indication of what is in store, Dhinakaran’s former confidante V Pugazhendi also called on EPS on Friday.