When Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami made the announcement of establishing the steering committee in the party with having senior leaders around including Panneerselvam, the party members and supporters had hailed and welcomed the decision, which birthed a much-needed, if not a long-term, truce for the party to end the tussle between the top two leaders over the race for the Chief Minister for the upcoming state assembly polls. 

Setting up the steering committee has been one of the demands kept by Panneerselvam when he negotiated with Palaniswami's faction for a merger in 2017. When the factions merged with Panneerselvam was named as the Deputy Chief Minister and with Edappadi Palaniswami's consent to install the special investigative committee to probe Jayalalithaa's death, the decision of setting up the steering committee was kept on hold when both the leaders rivaled behind the screens over a power tussle. 

With the merger, Palaniswami's government has sustained with bringing down the dissent. As the next assembly poll is approaching, the top two leaders had brought the tussle to the light as they resumed the power fight - this time Panneersalvam claiming that it's his turn now and mobilized support from his faction and supporters. Panneerselvam had brought his demand for setting up a steering committee in the party to reach the truce without which, it was speculated that the party would possibly get drifted away as both of them had engaged in the tugs-of-war, leaving the ministers and senior leaders to roll out hectic parleys. 

When both the leaders didn't offer a space for consensus, their heated arguments at the party's executive committee meeting had poured a backlash in the party as they claimed that they had rights to contest as the Chief Minister. With the meeting concluded with the tussle, the senior leaders had conducted discussions with both the leaders and finally, they offered a deal to end the political skirmish. 

The senior leaders and ministers had asserted to Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS) that he will be the CM candidate and pressed him to form the steering committee demanded by Panneerselvam. EPS, who wished to keep the party and rule under his control, had initially voiced against the formation of the steering committee, which could become the decision-making body of the party, which will enhance the authority of Panneerselvam in the party related affairs. However, as the tussle would weaken the party in the assembly elections, EPS had agreed to form the steering committee and in return, he asked Panneerselvam to announce him as the Chief Ministerial candidate of the party. 

With what could be a short-term deal, the party leaders assembled on Wednesday at the party headquarters in Chennai and made an announcement of ending the tussle. Edappadi Palaniswami had announced Panneerselvam's demand of setting up the steering committee while Panneerselvam has announced Palaniswami's demand of declaring him as the Chief Ministerial candidate. When both the leaders exchanged the announcements and greetings, the senior leaders and ministers had hailed and welcomed the decision. 

After the demise of Jayalalithaa, the power and the stable leadership in the party had got scattered with the senior leaders forming their own grid of powers. With having unity on lips, not from hearts, the leaders are making sure to take what it takes to retain their power in the party and the drama of forming the steering committee is one among them. In what has become a new body in the party, EPS has announced the members of the 11-member committee. 

Even as EPS had accepted the demand of OPS in setting up the committee, the former had seemingly filled up the committee with his supporters, to have a control over it. Of 11 members, six are from EPS camp and the rest are from the OPS camp. Senior Ministers like Dindigul Srinivasan, Thangamani, Velumani, Jayakumar, CVe Shanmugam, and Kamaraj have been inducted as the members of the committee. While these six are from the EPS camp, leaders like JCD Prabhakar, PH Manoj Pandian, Mohan, Gopalakrishnan, and Manickam, who are from the OPS camp, are added as the members of the committee. 

As the new committee has got birthed, according to reports, the party is yet to clear the air on its functions and duties. With making no announcement that Panneerselvam will be heading the committee, the party has still been working on the role of the 11-member body. Having largely packed up with the supporters of Edappadi Palaniswami, Panneerselvam said that the powers and functions of the committee would be included in the bylaws. 

Some of the party leaders said that the duties, functions, and terms of reference of the steering committee would be worked out by the leadership and the general council and the fresh committee would be given the duties of assisting the coordinator -Panneerselvam and joint-coordinator Edappadi Palaniswami in identifying the office-bearers, advising on the alliance, and taking disciplinary action against the party functionaries and the committee will be discharging the duties in the interest of the party. 

With still having no clarity on the permanent truce, the committee had drawn major flak as it was induced with the supporters of both the leaders and not filled with enough representations. The ground level leaders have criticized the party for not providing representation to various castes, religions, regions, women, and Muslims in the committee. Though the party signaled it had reached the truce, it still is on the grounds of the tussle in the dearth of stable leadership in the party when it comes to selecting the candidates for the polls and finalizing the alliances, as this would be the first legislative elections since the demise of Jayalalithaa.