Though the top two leaders of the ADMK party exchange smiles, handshakes, and support before the camera, the scenes have seemingly been getting different behind the camera as the recent controversies and intra-party furor within the party had triggered the political fight and pushed both the leaders to tight their strongholds. 

As Tamil Nadu is just months ahead from hosting the 2021 legislative assembly elections, the race for the Chief Minister candidate in the ADMK party between the current officeholder and his predecessor has been unfolding the political heat and the leaders and supporters from both sides of the aisle have been backing and promoting the respective leaders to be the face of the party and the Chief Minister of the state in the next elections. 

When Edappadi Palaniswami merged his camp with Panneerselvam three years ago by convincing the latter to settle up for the Deputy Chief Minister, he had a hope that he would also be the Chief Minister in the 2021 elections. Edappadi Palaniswami had led the alliance in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in the state and the state's local body elections and when the state has neared the next assembly polls, it wasn't what he thought as the race has started for the post which shocked the incumbent who thought he would be unanimously elected by the party. 

Senior ministers of the ADMK party had sparked the debate which has taken the fight one step further after the party members in Panneerselvam's home district of Theni had kept the heat and race by claiming that current Deputy Chief Minister Panneerselvam will be the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in 2021. The poster pasted across Theni district, which stirred furor, further reads that Panneerselvam, who got blessings from former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, will forever be the people's Chief Minister. 

The poster has shocked Edappadi Palaniswami amid his attempt to cement his position even stronger on the weakening party grounds across the state. The poster further revealed that though the ministers maintain in denying any tussles in the party, the recent developments have shown that the party would unfold a strong fight on picking the Chief Ministerial candidate before it hit the campaign trail for the next elections. 

According to the reports, the posters that spotlighted Panneerselvam as the next Chief Minister were pasted across main areas of the Theni district on Saturday. With the hashtag of #2021 CM FOR OPS, the message had campaigned that Panneerselvam would be the next Chief Minister and these posters have become a talk of the town when Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami was hoisting the National Flag in Chennai on the occasion of the 74th Independence Day. 

Following the development, the reports say that around ten ministers Jayakumar, CV Shanmugam, SP Velumani, Thangamani, Sengottaiyan, Kadambur Raju have held discussing with Deputy Chief Minister Panneerselvam at the latter's residence in Chennai amid the controversy over choosing the Chief Ministerial candidate of the ADMK party and in a bid to end the furor. Following the discussions with the Deputy Chief Minister, the ministers held discussion with the Chief Minister on Saturday. 

Earlier, some of the ministers said that the party's decision-making body will be choosing the Chief Ministerial candidate ahead of the elections. The opinions of the ministers went contrary as some had endorsed Edappadi Palaniswami for the Chief Minister while others hadn't acknowledged him as the Chief Minister. The developments from the party had troubled Edappadi Palaniswami amid the BJP's recent assertion that the Central ruling party will be leading the alliance in Tamil Nadu in 2021 assembly polls.