EPS & Annamalai on a clear path

AIDMK's  O Paneerselva (OPS) backed candidate has withdrawn from the Erode East assembly by-election.
This has put an end to his hopes of taking over the party. On the other hand it has also strengthened the Bharatiya Janata Party. Because it helps to ally with Edappadi Palaniswami's (EPS) party.

Also, OPS has decided not to oppose the EPS group candidate Thenarasu contesting the AIADMK's 'double leaf' symbol in the Erode by-election.  The OPS, which initially said it would only withdraw the candidate in favor of the BJP, withdrew the candidate the same evening when the double leaf symbol was abandoned.

Earlier, OPS had lost control of the party when EPS was appointed interim general secretary in July. All the leaders and members gathered there chose EPS and the BJP has now ended its dilemma between the two. 
Despite BJP's efforts to integrate AIADMK, it has not been able to manage it. 

Whenever the question of whom to support was raised, the BJP moved the ball as if it was standing neutral saying that the two factions should merge.  The Supreme Court and the Election Commission have divided EPS and OPS without giving any task to BJP. The Election Commission has shown an unimpeded right to not only EPS by giving a double leaf symbol to EPS candidate Thennarasu.

At the same time, the EPS side is categorically stating that they are not in the mood to extend any favors to OPS.  Even though he might want to campaign for the EPS candidate in Erode East constituency, getting permission will be a hard.  Even though OPS has been sidelined in AIADMK from the beginning, OPS has been on the attack so far as the war flag has been raised by the Court and the Election Commission.

 But in a last-ditch effort to show that he  still has some fight left, OPS has announced the appointment of Erode candidate Senthil Murugan, who was dropped from the Erode constituency, as the in-charge of the party's Erode district.

So, OPS is stuck in an unknown jungle. EPS has started his journey on the highway of light.  Along with him, he is ready to travel to Annamalai with a mental calculation of how many seats the BJP will get in the 2024 parliamentary elections!