While Edappadi Palaniswami hoped that he would be the Chief Ministerial candidate of the ADMK party in the 2021 legislative elections, the discord of opinions from the senior ministers had shocked him after it spurred the intra-party furor within the party, that still has the voice of dissents over the current leaders since the demise of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. 

The state legislative election next year is the first assembly polls that Edappadi Palaniswami will the facing as the Chief Minister and with the image of exemplifying as the replacement of the deceased leader. With less than a year for the assembly polls, major parties of the state have been preparing to unfold the campaign and ADMK, with two different camps and two different leaders, has been witnessing the intra-party furor after some of the senior ministers stood with different opinions on who would be the next Chief Ministerial candidate of the party in 2021 polls.

Earlier this week, senior ADMK Minister Sellur Raju said that the party MLAs will decide the Chief Ministerial candidate after the assembly elections. The reports say that Sellur Raju's remarks had shown that he is not willing to accept Edappadi Palaniswami as the next Chief Minister. Hours after his statement, his colleague and senior minister Rajenthra Balaji said that Edappadi Palaniswami is always the Chief Minister. He further called the party men to form a team with Edappadi Palaniswami in the front and win the elections.

With no consensus in their opinions, the minister stirred the fight within the party in which Edappadi Palaniswami is hoping to enhance his stronghold than his Deputy O Panneerselvam. As the topic became a debate on who would be the party's face during the elections, another senior Minister Jayakumar said that the decision making bodies of the party would meet and decide on who would be the next Chief Ministerial candidate. 

While addressing the reporters on Wednesday, Jayakumar said all the party's MLAs, MPs, and party workers are working towards the aim of bringing back the rule of former Chief Ministers MG Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa. By citing that the party will come to power, he stated the party will decide on the Chief Minister candidate. 

When asked about Rajenthra Balaji's remarks, Jayakumar said that the statement from Rajenthra Balaji of backing Edappadi Palaniswami as the Chief Minister is an individual opinion and not of the party's and the decision making bodies in the party would decide the Chief Ministerial candidate. According to the reports, the ADMK party will likely have an immediate consensus on the Chief Minister candidate with both Edappadi Palaniswami and Panneerselvam are on the fray to grab the post. 

According to the latest reports, the ADMK party has convened an important meet with the senior leaders on Thursday in the party's headquarters in Chennai to discuss the Chief Ministerial candidate of the party after some of the ministers had the clash of opinions. The development has come when the Tamil Nadu BJP party had shocked the ADMK by stating that the BJP will be leading the alliance in the next assembly polls. BJP Vice president VP Duraisamy said that the BJP has the right to lead the alliance as it is the national party. 

He further stated that the BJP has attained growth in Tamil Nadu and it has now become BJP versus DMK from ADMK versus DMK. The Central ruling party said that it would lead the alliance in the state which will win the elections. Currently, BJP is part of the alliance in the state that has been headed by ADMK and BJP had faced the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in Tamil Nadu in alliance with the ADMK.