While the year 2020 has been unwelcoming for many as most of us are waiting for new dawn from the nightmare of Coronavirus pandemic, it has been a year of an acid test for most of the political leaders across the nation as they ought to withhold their power while addressing the spread of the virus. For Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami, this would not be the way that he wished to end 2020. 

Edappadi Palaniswami has been pushed to balance his executive and political power while dealing with healthcare and economical crisis triggered by the COVID-19 outbreak. The government's handling of the crisis would be atop when he hits the campaign trail for 2021 state legislative elections and the state is barely left with one year to form a new assembly, which Palaniswami is aiming to form with a sweeping majority.

He is on the acid test of taking his government's success of COVID-19 combat mission to the people and to rebut and tear the allegations laid by the opposition parties against his government. However, his combat mission has been filled with deviations and controversies from within the ruling government's machinery and the Chief Minister had shocked to witness a recent one from his own cabinet where two senior ministers had a war of words on pillaring their stronghold in the party and the government. 

According to our sources, senior minister Velumani has been portraying himself as the next Chief Ministerial candidate by claiming that he has more MLAs and party district secretaries on his back and he also has put out his notion at the presence of Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami, who is hoping to be the captain of the ship to sail for five more years. 

While the Chief Minister's faction has been upset on the intra-party furor, Health Minister Vijayabaskar has also raised against Velumani and the health minister took a prospect of COVID-19 cases in attacking the CM-hopeful minister. In the recently held meet, Vijayabaskar blamed the civic body of Greater Chennai Corporation for the rapid spread of the cases and he also blamed corporation commissioner Prakash for not co-operating with the health officials and asked the government to transfer him from his post.

Velumani is the minister responsible for the municipal administration and Chennai Commissioner Prakash observe close ties with Velumani and upon hearing Vijayabaskar's notion of transferring him, the sources said that Velumani voiced against the health minister and asked the possibility of replacing Vijayabaskar with someone after his driver tested positive and Velumani went on to say that some of the officials at the Chief Minister's office tested positive for the virus and questioned Vijayabaskar whether he would ask to change the Chief Minister. 

Amid being caught up with the fight against the pandemic, the incident has brought out the dissents from within the party that has blackened Edappadi Palaniswami's uninterrupted hope of retaining the power in the state and the sources further stated that the Chief Minister has been discussing to implement complete lockdown in Chennai, Thiruvallur, Kancheepuram, and Chengalpattu for 15 straight days likely from June 15 owing to the exponential rise of the COVID-19 cases in these four districts.